Why The Force Not?
by AdraLoran
Summary: Rating Liable To Change. AU Wraith Squadron story revolving around the lives of Nicola Afyon, Face Loran, Adra Tallon and others. Co-written with NicolaAfyon
1. Adra Tallon

Title: Why The Force Not?  
Author: Adra Loran, with comments and help from NicolaAfyon (see below)  
Disclaimer: I'd first off like to give praise to George Lucas and his amazingness with Star Wars. If everyone could please join me in a moment of silence? *Room goes silent* Thank you! Now, onward! Second, I'd like to make it known that all of this stuff did happen in a role playing game called the Core Worlds - - that is based on the one and only, Star Wars Universe! And lastly, I'd like to also make it known that, while she didn't actually help me write the story itself, NicolaAfyon has played a big part in it, mainly because she plays at The Core Worlds. Her characters include [but are not limited to] Nicola, Bror, Face, Tyria Tainer, Kell Tainer, Mirax Halcyon, Jagged Fel, Wedge Antilles, and Wes Janson.  
Author's Comments: Thank you now for reading and putting up with my ramble! With a last author's note, I'd like to say that the rating on this story is liable to change. And if you'd like different points of view on this story and events that have yet to be 'published' in my story, look up NicolaAfyon and read 'Don't Mess With A Wraith' and 'One Question, but how to Ask?'

**Chapter One – Adra Tallon**

Adra paced absently in her room in Wraith headquarters. She knew through the Force that Nicola was down in the lounge with her Jedi Master, Bror, and Gaeriel was debating with Cloud and Vana over a useless topic. Jade was off doing her own thing, of course, and Kell was talking with his sister, Tyria. Thracia wasn't even on this side of Coruscant; she was on the Jedi Council and had a meeting today. Asyr was reading a datapad in her own room; and Face...

Adra sighed mentally, making sure she was using the Force to block any of her thoughts providing 'free information'. Garik, the Face, Loran was head of Wraith squadron and, consequently, also the person she found herself in love with. Although Jedi technically weren't supposed to marry, the New Order was much more lax on the rules. They had allowed Jedi Master Luke Skywalker to marry ex-Sith Tahiri Daragon. Not only did he marry her, the two of them had three children... one of whom married and their only son dating Vana Sage.

Leia Organa Solo, however, was a different story. Not only was she married with four children, one of them- Jacen to be precise- had married ex-Sith Celtic Wesell. Celtic and Jacen now had three children of their own- in similar fashion to Luke's youngest daughter's two.

Though she was only 19, Adra Tallon had been a Jedi Knight since she was 14- a relatively young age for a Jedi. Somehow her cynical sarcasm had managed to be checked long enough for her to pass the Jedi trials. After she had passed, she'd bought an X-Wing, reprogrammed it's computers, and then joined up with Vanguard squadron. After having managed to prove herself exceptionally well as a pilot, though by no means as good as, say, Wedge Antilles, and even better as a computer hacker, she had volunteered for Wraith. And with Wraith, she'd had her 19th birthday... and developed her love for Face.

Only Nicola knew... which was a mercy in some ways. Nicola had long since been her friend, obvious by Adra's current position of twic in Nicola's Wild Knights squadron.

Her thoughts returning to the present, she had hardly noticed as her slender form sank into the chair near the window. Her X-Wing, the _Suprosa, was out on the landing field next to Cloud Ritril's and Nicola's crafts._

* * *

Thracia Cho Leem nodded grimly to Masters Yoda and Windu. It was information time again for Wraith squadron. She was walking toward the Temple's hanger bay, fiddling with her comm's frequency as she went. She had been talking with 'Goddess' Solo earlier, but that was a different frequency all together. Finding the right one, she nodded to the following Master Yaddle, then spoke.

"Wraith Lead? Eleven speaking," she stopped speaking, waiting for his reply.

"Poster Boy here; what's up Jedi Girl?" Face's reply was hardly more than a standard second later.

"We've got an assignment from the Temple. The Jedi need some information." In her head, she could almost see Face's nod.

"Okay. Get back to base and give me the details here; it's easier to move one X-Wing than eleven. Poster Boy out."

Smiling slightly to herself, she nodded again to Master Yaddle. "He doesn't know you're coming. This should be good."

She and Yaddle climbed into their X-Wings and Thracia couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by flying with the Jedi Master. True, she was a Master herself, but no one really thought of Yaddle as an X-Wing pilot. Apparently the Jedi had been just that when she was still 'only but 100', as the green alien had said.

The journey across Coruscant's landscape didn't take long; they arrived at Wraith base in less than a standard hour. Yaddle was a good pilot- there was no denying it. Thracia got out of her X-Wing after Yaddle's had landed and was just looking around when she saw Face come out of the building.

Face bowed to Yaddle in a very dramatic fashion. Thracia could've told him then and there that while Yaddle was 427 years old, she was still considered young in her species and acted, in some cases, like a very rebellious teenager. But she didn't tell him that, which is why when he bowed in his theatrical way as a semi-test for the Jedi Master, she had to keep from laughing at Yaddle's response.

The three-foot Jedi stared at Face with a bit of uninterest, but Thracia had seen the glint in her eye. Within a second, Yaddle had whacked Face across his bowed head and crossed her arms in a very 'teenager' way.

"Face Loran, Master Yoda I am not. Meaning old, I am not," Yaddle's words bit sharply into the laughing air and at this point Thracia could not contain her own laughter any longer.

Face had looked up, startled, a grin spreading on his face. Raising his hands in defeat, he backed up quickly, losing his theater touch.

"All right, all right! Just don't hit me again!" His fake plea of mercy brought a smile to Yaddle's face. Wraith's had, at least, humor.

* * *

Adra glanced out towards the docking bay, a bit confused by the second X-Wing accompanying Thracia's. Then she recognized it; that X-Wing belonged to Jedi Council member Master Yaddle. She saw the two Jedi depart from their crafts and their brief meeting with Face. She watched silently as Face led the two Jedi inside Wraith headquarters. Sending a wordless greeting through the Force to Thracia, she walked towards the lounge to talk with Nicola.

All of five standard seconds after she had entered the large room, her com went off. Silently she noted that Nicola's, Kell's, Bror's and Cloud's also went off. Taking her com out and flicking it on, she noted quickly that they were on Wraith public frequency.

"Computer Girl." Her acknowledgment of her being on her comm was one of the five voices replying into their comms.

"All of you get to my office." Face's voice came over very seriously- most unlike him.

Nicola glanced at Adra's face with a slight flash of confusion. The two walked together towards the 'office'.

"What do you think's up?" Nicola questioned.

"I don't know. He's almost never serious," Adra walked swiftly down the hall, her stride perfecting matching her friend's.

"Oh, and you'd know," Nicola grinned at her friend jokingly and Adra couldn't help wondering how much Nicola guessed about her feelings toward Face.

The five of them got to the office spaced out, but all within the time frame of three standard minutes. Face had looked up as they'd entered, nodding to each of them in turn.

Thracia smiled at the group as they came in, then looked to Face. At his nod, she stepped forward and began to speak.

"The Jedi Council needs information in from Cloud City. They've been suspecting for a while that Thrawn and Daala are back. We've recently received transmissions that testify there might be proof behind the suspicions."

Cloud grimaced slightly and cursed under his breath. Kell, Adra could tell, was ready to grab explosives. Bror and Nicola stood next to each other, both with neutral faces. Adra, to her benefit, didn't do anything more than give a nod accompanied with a near-silent sigh.

Face looked over his group of Wraiths, his eyes not their usual joking self. Not that they could say they didn't understand why. He looked at Adra; she was very proud of herself. She let no emotion onto her face and her gaze remained level to his.

"We're going to need you to hack into their systems, Computer Girl, not to mention make sure we don't show up on their scanners."

Adra nodded, though in her mind, that little nagging voice spoke up cruelly. 'He wouldn't even know you existed if you weren't good at hacking. Give it up Adra.'

Fortunately, her face showed none of the emotion brewing behind the mask. That was, at least, good. The bad was that Face thought of her only as a good pilot and computer hacker.

Thracia looked at Adra, a bit of suspicion rising in her mind. There was something she wasn't telling the rest of them... Though, perhaps it was in order to avoid rejection from a certain person.

She looked quickly to Master Yaddle, wondering slightly if the Master got the impression, however Thracia wasn't rewarded with an answer from her.

Yaddle merely stood, her eyes half-closed, in a deep connection with the Force, gathering information through it. Thracia looked over at Face, a smile creeping over her own expression. Maybe he wouldn't be so cocky to Jedi Masters after that. Doubtful.

Before long, their group of seven was in their respective X-Wings. Adra was flying off Face's wing, Nicola parallel to her. Bror was just behind Nicola, his padawan, Yaddle and Thracia near the Jedi Knight. Cloud and Kell were flying farther back; Thracia had no doubts as to why.

Wondering slightly how Yaddle felt about flying with a Temple releasee, she pushed the thoughts away as the X-Wings went into land on Cloud City.


	2. Cloud City

**Chapter Two – ****Cloud********City**

A large open spot was the destination. Face had pointed it out to himself and the rest of the Wraiths flying. Adra looked towards the other X-Wings and A-Wings as they arranged themselves in a semi-formal assembly.

Face's voice came over the comm, his tone carefully neutral. "There, let's land our crafts there and, with any luck, Computer Girl can hack into their communications." Face's X-Wing touched down, landing smoothly on the far left in the 'field'.

Adra smiled slightly at the reference to herself and hacking, and she nodded an unseen nod by way of response. "Sounds good to me Poster Boy. Hacking these babies should be fun. I've heard they've got an actual human to keep the datafiles." Her X-Wing lowered carefully to an open spot, landing after Face.

Cloud coughed slightly over the comm, though his X-Wing remained in the landing pattern the squad seemed to have adopted. "Oh, you mean Lobot? Yeah, he's got the datafiles. But, urm, Poster Boy? If Imperial Force representatives are here and have been working here for more than a week, there's a pretty good possibility that they might have tabs on any radio waves in the area. Meaning, our comunits."

Kell's laughing voice followed Cloud's comment; it was very easy to tell that the mechanic was, to say the least, new to the squadron. "Let me answer this one Face." At Face's unspoken acceptance, he continued. "You don't have to worry about that Mechanic Boy. My sister, Tyria, and Adra took care of that a few years ago. All squadron fighters and tools, meaning Computer Girl's hacking material, have a program built into them, making them all but invisible to enemy scanners." During his shpeel, his X-Wing had landed right next to Face's.

Adra nodded again, still knowing no one could yet see her do so. "Yep, that's about right. I'm such an asset." Laughing at the last part, as it dripped sarcasm, she got out of her craft and walked toward Face's X-Wing, where everyone seemed to be congregating.

Bror's A-Wing landed just as Adra hopped out of her X-Wing, Nicola's not far behind his. That wasn't an uncommon thing, considering the two of them were Jedi master and padawan. Adra smiled at them as she passed Nicola climbing out.

Face jumped out of his X-Wing, glancing at the assembled group. "Alright, Adra get those machines of yours workin'. The rest of you, get ready to supposedly check out this factory. But, as we all know-" he grinned mid-sentence- "We're actually going to draw on Kell's stash and blow those Imps to hell."

Thracia smiled dimly. She watched Adra take out whatever 'those machines' were, she grinned slightly at Face's terming. Of course, that was always his way of doing things. Thracia paused to embed herself a bit more to the Force, just to be on the safe side, but then her eyes snapped open again. "Hey Computer Girl? How...er...quickly did you activate those machines once we got into the "atmosphere? 'Cause I think you might've done it a second late."

Adra looked up quickly from her datapad and micro-computer, her eyes glancing quickly to the scanner on the former. "Uh...Face? You're not going to like this. I think I did flick them a second too late. Looks like we've got stuff going down. Some datafiles have been disconnected... I'm guessing those are the ones we'll need."  She sighed, then shrugged, continuing, "That at least proves they're here. It just gives me more to hack. I'm hoping they don't have a blip." With that, she sat down under the shadow of the X-Wing and began fiddling with another datapad-like device, leaving Face to fume silently.

Thracia, perhaps wisely, took that moment to take a step or two away from Face and Adra. It was a good thing she had. The look Face wore was not something she wanted to have aimed at her, even as a Council Jedi.

"What!?" Face exploded, all but announcing to all of the surrounding buildings and their occupants of a mistake. He sprinted over to where Adra was working. "You have got to be kiddin' me!" He cracked his knuckles, his expression stormy. Adra, though, could've cared less.

Kell glanced over at Adra and her tools briefly, smiling all the while. He laid a 'comforting' hand on her shoulder, speaking at the same time. "Tough luck, Computer Girl. Just wait till Circuitry Girl hears about this! If I know my sister, she won't let you live this down." His expression seemed to grow ten times brighter. "But on the plus side, now I get blow more things!" His jovial expression was caught at once by Cloud, who began grinning like the maniac he was.

Their appreciation for their own joke, however, was cut short as Yaddle's activated lightsaber flew up to hum just under Kell's chin. "Blow up a Jedi, you will not."

Kell backed away from Yaddle, his hands moving up in a form of petulant surrender. "Hey! I wasn't referring to blowing Adra up! I was talking about Imp buildings! And besides, I've been better about blowing up everything I see lately. I only blow up every other thing I see." This last remark drew a chuckle from both himself and Cloud, though not from Yaddle.

Nicola, head shaking, stalked over, and she dragged Kell away, out of danger. "Alright Kell, you go sit in your corner with your explosives. And keep your mouth shut! Maybe, if you're lucky, no one will fire a blaster at you." Her right hand rested suggestively on one of her blasters; then she turned back to Yaddle. "Excuse him Master Yaddle, he's not learned to keep his mouth shut yet." The last several words were heavily enforced and aimed directly at the sulking Kell.

Yaddle couldn't help but smile at the padawan. Complying amiably, she turned her lightsaber off, speaking both to Nicola and Kell. "Smart at least you are, Padawan Nicola." She glared at Kell, as if trying to drive into his thick scull that he needed to shape up.

Nicola smiled slightly at the Master's comment. "Thank you, Master Yaddle." She risked a quick glance at Bror, before continuing, "And, could we drop the Padawan part of that, Master? I'm a plain type of girl and titles distract me." Even while speaking lightly, she kept a silver eye glaring at Kell, daring him to take out his explosives

* * * * *

Adra had remained blank-faced as she punched in orders to her datapad. After a minute though, a slight frown creased her expression. "Would all of you just shut up!?" She looked up only once to glare at Kell and Face, then returned to her screen. After only another second, a smile reappeared on her face. "There, Mister Celebrity, is your hacked Imperial Information. Or was that not fast enough?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice again as she handed Face the datapad.

Face's annoyance and anger matched hers for all of a second, then his annoyance from before was forgotten. He took the datapad from Adra and skimmed it, his eyes moving rapidly. "Excellent!" his exclamation was all of five seconds after he had taken the datapad. He looked up from it for a moment, "And Adra, if you ever find a way to shunt your sarcasm into our shields, I wish you'd tell me. Because there'd be plenty for the entire squadron."

Adra raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed but laughing all the same. "So now you're my best friend, eh? Oh well." She turned the other datapads off, then looked back over at Face. "Oh, and Face? Yeah, I do know how to do that. I just hadn't told you yet."

He rolled his eyes at Adra. "Do you have any idea how much that sarcasm of yours could help us?" he questioned, then turned his back to the datapad. As he came to one particular line, he did a double take, nearly dropping the datapad. "Oh sithspawn. Sithspawn, sithspawn, sithspawn."

A slight grin flicked over Adra's face as she looked over Face's shoulder to see the screen. "Oh, you've gotten to the good parts have you?" her voice was cool and absolutely unperturbed. "And as to your comment as to my sarcasm, I know that. I was working on something for it, but you didn't give me a chance to perfect it before finding out about my ideas." At that, she went back over to the _Suprosa_, climbed up to lean into the cockpit, and rummaged for something under the controls. At last finding the thing she needed, she jumped down and came back over.

Nicola glanced at her chrono, smiling slightly, then looked over to Face. "Hey Poster Boy! If the Imps had gotten some sign of us being here, they would've tracked it by now." Unfortunately, she'd spoken too soon. Thracia and Yaddle both glanced at Adra, but the young Jedi already had her attention fixed. And it wasn't by Face.

A black-robed figure was standing silently above where their ships had landed, on a nearby balcony. The hood lowered itself and the Jedi found themselves staring at the long-since-seen face of Darth Maul.

Adra was the first to have her lightsaber raised and activated in her hand, Nicola just after her with her blaster. Kell and Cloud, however, ran off to Kell's X-Wing. Darth Maul sneered coldly at them, only one end of his lightsaber activated. He brought it down to meet the edge of the metal balcony, sparks flying off in his silent threat. At last he spoke, allowing his lightsaber to cease its motion. His eye locked with that of the squadron leader, glaring at him. "And they have, Rebels," his voice echoed over the oddly-silent grounds. It was obviously an 'answer' to Nicola's statement.

Nicola lunged to go after the Sith as he disappeared, but almost at once Master Yaddle's lightsaber was there to contradict her steps. Bror had run over to his padawan at nearly the same time, grabbing her blaster arm. Then a memory seemed to click in his mind and he grabbed the other arm as well; Nicola was equally able to fight with either arm, thanks to her Targeter days. "Don't even think about going after him, Nicola. You'll just get yourself butchered," Bror's voice seemed to fall on deaf ears.

The Jedi padawan stopped moving, but her eyes never left the spot at which the Sith had disappeared. She gave one last attempt to throw Bror off, but didn't succeed in that either.

Adra looked past Yaddle, her eyes darkening slightly. Master Yaddle remained squarely in her path, having moved away as Bror dealt with his own padawan. Then Adra looked to Face. "He's right, you know. Face? What's the call?"

A strange expression came over Face's face as he watched the two Jedi trying to go after the Sith. "They're both right Nicola, just let it go for now." He glared straight back at her as Nicola cursed him under her breath. Then he shook his mood away, clapping his hands together sharply. "Alright people, they know we're here, so there's no real point in sneaking around. So let's just destroy whatever of those ships we can and have a 'lil fun with Kell's stash."

Nicola continued to glare at Face, then abruptly twisted her arms out of Bror's grasp. This time he let go and didn't stop her. She turned to glare at him as she reholstered her blaster. Though not letting her voice get louder than a whisper, she did speak. "I hate being wrong. And I hate being shot down."

Having been looking at Bror and Nicola, Adra turned back to Face, sighing heavily. She took a step away from Yaddle, though her agitated manner towards the Sith was still in place. After a moment, though, it had passed as her face drew upon the expression the Jedi wore and she spoke directly to Face, "I request permission to withdraw from actively attacking in this mission, sir. I would prefer my ears be spared Mace Windu's wrath, sir."

Nicola stopped halfway in the middle of drawing her blasters, getting ready to have a bit of fun with the Imps. "Sithspawn! I had forgotten about that!" She rolled her silver eyes in a clearly annoyed expression. "I'm the last person who would want to say this, Poster Boy, but getting a lecture from Master Windu is definitely not on the top of my priority list. Or for the rest of the Jedi here."

Face winced at the mention of a lecture from Windu. Under any other circumstances he wouldn't care, but Wedge had lent the Wraiths to the Jedi for this mission, so technically they'd all get yelled at. Pushing his own blaster down firmly into its holster, he nodded to both Adra and Nicola, "Alright, you guys are probably right, as usual. Adra, do you have all the information you can possibly get from their computers?"

Adra took her datapad back, pressing a few of the buttons and reading what the thing had to say. Every so often she answered one of its few questions; however, the process didn't take more than a minute. She nodded to Face, "Yep, this thing's leeched every detail of information from the files."

All of this brought a seriously pissed look to Kell's face. He glared at all of them, his eyes locking on Face's. "That's not fair! I didn't even get to blow up one thing!"

He turned, as if to get back in his X-Wing and head to Coruscant, then turned sharply back again, flinging a grenade towards an Imperial storehouse. The majority of the storehouse destroyed, a smug look crossed his face. "Now I'm happy. I've destroyed my one mandatory item."

All of the pilots returned to their crafts, each of them lifting off with a curse already on their lips for Kell. All, that is, except Cloud.


	3. Commclutter

**Chapter Three - Commclutter**

Adra Tallon's X-Wing came out of hyperspace with its owner staring, disgusted, as her comm unit and Kell's voice coming over it. "Well you wanna know something Kell? I doubt any of us are going to be standing up to Master Windu in your defense! How's that? I've heard him yell. Sithspawn, he yelled at Anakin Skywalker just the other day!" Her voice intercepted Kell's, cutting him off rudely. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be yelling at him as badly.

Kell rolled his eyes, almost glad that the others couldn't see him doing the action as he protested in vain, "But Adra, I've been better about that! And I only blew up one thing the entire time! I think that's a record for me!" He very much doubted that anyone was buying it, much less trying to figure out a way to help him escape the claws of the women pilots.

Finally fed up with Kell's feeble arguments and protests, Nicola switched on her comm unit to put in her own. "Kell, just do us all a favor and shut the Vong up! And if you do keep this Sithspit up, as soon as we land, I'll use some of my Targeter training on you, and then you won't be able to protest. Got it?"

Grumbling over the comm, Adra shook her head, cursing Kell silently again and again. "I don't really care Kell. It was one more than should've been thrown. Anyways, if you don't zip it, you won't be landing. I'll kill you in that craft of yours with the Force if I have to!" Adra was still glaring at her comm. Kell Tainer could be a pain in the ass sometimes, as he was right now. Her gaze flicked to Coruscant's approaching surface once before she turned it back to her navigation and controls... and the comm, still cursing at Kell.

Another voice- Nicola's- added its curses to Adra's string. Adra could almost see the diabolical smile forming on her friend's lips as she said, "And that's only if I don't get to him first, Computer Girl."

Adra almost laughed. Kell, however, was glaring at his comm unit. "Alright, alright! Just please, enough of the 'killing-of-Kell' talk!" His voice had an almost pleading tone to it. He continued quickly, this time imploring his fellow Wraith males for help, "Face? Bror? Cloud? Any of you guys want to help me here?"

Face's unseen head shook at Kell's plea. They were lucky that the women hadn't turned their accusations from Kell to all of them; it was a common thing for the fault on one of the squadron's men to turn into a fault in all of them, causing those that were usually innocent of the problems to always be on their guards. "Sorry Kell, I'd rather not have Master Yaddle hit me again. I'm being on my best behavior from now on." He grinned slightly at the comm.

Bror's voice came over the comm next, taking a similar view on the subject as Face. And there really wasn't any doubt as to why. "Sorry, too, Kell; even if Nicola's my padawan, I'd rather not go up against her."

"It's okay Kell," Cloud's voice reached out over the comm, "The Imps can get blown up another time...when we're not on duty. Now the rest of you, bug off." It was the first time Cloud had spoken since Cloud City, an oddity for him.

Kell was smiling with relief in spite of himself. While Cloud's defense wasn't much, and it was probably to do with the fact that bags of explosives were sitting in the back of Kell's X-Wing, he took all the help he could get.

"Finally! Someone who'll save me!" Kell's voice rang over the now silent comm, quite a change to what it had been moments before. Then his tone became reflective as he voiced his second-earlier suspicions. "Well, you wanting to help me might have to do with the explosives in my X-Wing, but I'll take all the help I can get!"

His laughter filling the comm, Cloud backed off at this point, in spite of telling the rest of the squad to lay-off, "Nah, you're pretty cool. But that doesn't mean I'm facing down Mace Windu for you."

Adra smiled at Cloud's words in spite of herself. She had no doubt as to what made Cloud say this, even if it was common knowledge that Mace had a wonderful ability to yell at fifteen Jedi in one day and be able to come back, voice still intact, to yell at another twelve the next. She could almost see Kell wincing slightly at the mention of Mace Windu as she felt it through the Force. She was not at all surprised by his next words.

"Thanks Cloud, I was trying to forget about that. Maybe I'll just turn my ship around and fly off somewhere and blow something up," He was joking, though in truth it was almost the idea he'd chosen. Unfortunately, Nicola and Adra put another of their 'two-credit' bits in.

Adra all but saw Nicola firmly shaking her head. Her voice came out hard across the comm. "Uh-uh, Kell. You're not getting away that easily. You're not getting away until Computer Girl and Targeter are done with you. Oh and Kell," she added, her voice sickly sweet, "Don't even think about trying to get away becasue I'm sure that Adra would just slave your controls to hers and that wouldn't help you very much, now would it?"

The vast Jedi Temple rose along the skyline to greet them, even as Adra laughed and then pretended to be outraged at Nicola, "Shush you! Don't go giving my plan away!"

"Oops," Nicola's voice purred innocently over the comm frequency, causing Kell's gut to wrench, "Oh well, you can still do it anyways. He's not that talented in the computer department."

Bror's comm unit was flicked back on as he sighed. "Adra, I think you and my padawan have been together for way too long. She already had the sharp tongue, but now she's got the sarcasm!" As soon as he said the words, he almost regretted them. Now Nicola was likely to turn that sharp tongue on him.

However, Adra raised an unseen eyebrow in mock-surprise, laughing slightly at the same time. "Then you obviously don't remember me as a padawan, Bror, because I'm quite sure that I had just as much a way with words as your padawan does. And there's nothing wrong with sarcasm." Adra was grinning at this point, maneuvering her X-Wing through the planet's high-rising and never-ending city. "Besides, you should be grateful I'm not teaching her how to rewire your lightsaber to the computer generator- which I've done. The results aren't very pretty for the X-Wing's computers or the lightsaber."

Adra knew that Bror's face had paled very rapidly at her last comment- all of the people she had threatened like that had the same reaction. Even Mace Windu.

Bror rolled his eyes at the memory of a younger Adra. It was an amazing thing that the Temple had allowed her the title of Jedi Knight at the minor age of 14, though he almost didn't blame them. It might've been a way to merely get her off their hands.

"Oh don't worry, Adra. I remember you as a padawan alright. And it wasn't exactly fun when I was the recipient of your sarcasm or your tongue," he winced at this point, remembering only too well some of those occasions. For even if Adra had been a full year younger than him, their Masters had hung around the Temple a lot, leaving their padawans to the tender mercies of tormenting each other. However, he said none of this, only elaborating. "And yes, I'm grateful you aren't teaching her that. Even if I do have an A- wing, not an X-wing."

Nicola cut in, grinning madly, before Adra could reply to Bror. "Ooooh, rewiring his lightsaber? Adra, you're going to have to teach me that one!"

Grinning, Adra nodded. Laughing at Bror's comment, she shook her head, remembering what had happened on earlier experiments. "I know that, Bror. I did my experiment on an X-Wing. Then I did it on an A-Wing sometime later...it comes off worse than the X-Wing." Searching out the hanger bay at the Temple, she brought her X-Wing down to land, smiling very happily at the curses that were spilling off the Alderaanian's lips due to her mentioning A-Wing test results.


	4. Code Purple

**Chapter Four – Code Purple**

The slender figure removed itself from the _Suprosa, threw her helmet inside and then looked quickly around for any signs of Mace Windu. Luckily, Adra didn't find a trace of the Jedi around as she went to grab a fuel hose. Going back to her X-Wing, she began to refuel it, wanting to be ready for a speedy take-off, if needed. Her gaze traveled mischievously over to Bror's landed A-Wing, causing her to grin._

"Hey Bror, I could always show Nicola how to rewire a droid to the engine... It works work even better! Especially if the droid got mad at you," her threat was marred by a hint of laughter seeping through her to her voice.

The other figure looking around nervously for Mace Windu was that of Nicola. Finding that it was safe, she quickly followed Adra to grab a fuel hose and began to refuel her A-Wing. After a moment of silence marked by only the landing of crafts, she tapped Adra's shoulder with the Force.

"So when are you actually going to teach me all this stuff? I'm looking forward to rewiring Bror's droid. He's an annoying little twerp anyways," Nicola grinned innocently at Adra. Adra just smiled and laughed silently, looking over at Bror's nearly panicked face.

Bror grabbed one of the remaining fuel hoses and started refueling his own ship. Glancing over at Adra and Nicola, he sighed a bit uneasily, "I have a very bad feeling about what's going to happen after Nicola passes the trials. And please don't rewire Peck, if you do, I'll never get him working right again!"

"Oh, but why the Force not? That's the point, Bror. Oh well. I'll just teach you the lightsaber bit then, Nicola," Adra smiled at Nicola's gleaming face, enjoying the fact that Bror really seemed to be worried.

A ripple of power passed through the Force at that moment, however, nearly causing her to jump as she looked up. Her eyes locked on the unmistakable figure of Mace Windu as he came out onto the docking bay.

"Code red!" was all Adra needed to say.

Mace Windu strode onto the hanger, looking around to Adra, a smile one his lips at her yell. "Very good, 'Master' Adra. Now if you don't mind, I have a need for words with a certain Kell Tainer." The pilot in question easily spotted, both with the Force and his eyes, he walked over to Kell and his X- Wing.

Kell's head had snapped up at the words 'code red' and he grinned over at Adra, "Don't you mean 'Code purple', Computer girl?" He then looked over at the rest of the squadron, realizing they wouldn't be finding this very funny right now. He looked around imploringly, pleadingly asking his 'last request'. "If any of you guys want to get in contact with Wedge and ask him to help me, feel more than free to." He debated on whether or not to jump back in his X-Wing and try to fly away, or to just simply run like a nexu was after him.

Before he'd had a chance to choose, however, Cloud had come over to him, at the same time Adra chose to hi-tail it over to Wraith Headquarters. And she was in her right mind in doing so. In all seriousness, Adra really didn't want to hear Mace Windu delivering one of his infamous rants.

However, Cloud was prepared, it seemed, to at least put a word in for his friend. Whether or not that was a good idea on his part was yet to be decided. Cloud stepped forward, clearing his throat, and stared Mace Windu square in the face. "You know, Master Windu, it's not his fault. He did good only throwing one grenade. I mean, usually Kell here throws about 15! So maybe he shouldn't've thrown it, but he did good not to throw the rest!"

Master Windu's only response was to glare inscrutably at the pilot. Of course, Mace Windu had know the kid as more than a pilot... had known him only too well. It wasn't easy to forget the padawan that had turned your lightsaber into a sort of early thermal detonator. Mace Windu glared at the pilot still more, before finally answering.

"Cloud Ritril, you are not in the place for making demands or observations. As you might recall just as well as I, that was nearly the same reason you were released from the Temple. As to the throwing of only one, the Temple, as the party requesting- and receiving- services of Wraith Squadron, have the right to put restrictions on provoking the Sith and other Imperial forces. We asked for information only. We said only attack unless provoked. And you, Kell Trainer, were not provoked."

A raised eyebrow was shot to Cloud as Kell received what was possibly one of the biggest shocks of his life. Cloud was an ex-Jedi? Making a mental note to ask Cloud about it later- if there even was one- he turned his attention back to Mace Windu, grasping for explanations.

"Well sir, actually, I was provoked. See, Darth What's-His-Face came out, and that's enough provocation for me. See, I wasn't sure where he would be, so I just blew up the closest warehouse. And besides, any less supplies the Imps have is a plus for our side." He finished his reasons, grinning slightly. Hopefully the stern and strict Jedi Master might go along with his last point...if not, then he could kiss his sorry ears goodbye.

The Jedi Master seemed to consider this as he glanced at the now-silenced Cloud. However, it only took him a minute to gather his response. "I see. But Darth Maul never attacked you, Tainer, and don't lie over this because I know. It was only two hours later, in fact, that Darths Maul, Neva and Jori- along with Darth Maul's apprentice Seba- attacked Master Luke Skywalker and his padawan on Theed. Meaning he left the area almost immediately after. I had to give both Master Skywalkers and the padawan a talking to a few hours after that. You still had no groundings for an attack on them." He fell silence for a moment as he glanced at Cloud once more; not a single doubt played across his mind as he noted Kell's sudden interest in the kid. It was, no doubt, due to the fact the Cloud would never divulge information, like him getting kicked out of the Temple as an example, unless absolutely necessary.

As if to give the kid some peace of mind, or merely something to do, he spoke to him next. "You, Ritril, should go put more fuel in you X-Wing. And Tainer's too." He watched silently after the X-Wings' silhouettes in the sky, the ones that had departed shortly after Adra Tallon. Stifling a bit of laughter, he returned his gaze to Kell. "I'm not going to yell at you this time, but should you go against orders again- even with your lame excuses- the Council will have to hold a meeting with your squad and Wedge Antilles. Now I'd get back to headquarters."

And to Kell's immense relief- and Cloud's too, by the look on his face- the Jedi Master turned and went off towards the Temple, presumably to find Masters Yaddle and Thracia. Kell grimaced at Mace Windu's back, silently adding his own comments as a late and unheard reply.

"I never said that he attacked me. And if this isn't yelling, then I don't want to hear what is."

Wedge certainly wouldn't be happy if he was dragged in front of the Jedi Council because he, Kell Tainer, couldn't stop blowing things up. A sigh escaped the pilot's lips and he looked over to his friend. The younger pilot merely nodded and climbed into the cockpit of his X-Wing. Kell followed suit, knowing it would be better to wait on talking over Cloud's "sore spot".


	5. Targeted Control

**Chapter Five – Targeted Control**

The _Suprosa_ touched down at Wraith Headquarters' docking bay maybe 20 minutes after she had departed the Temple hanger. But Adra knew all too well what kind of yelling could go on in twenty minutes...especially if Mace Windu was involved.

For the most part, the Jedi Master conveyed a quiet sense of having an intimate connection with the Force that never seemed to break off. But those who'd been in the Council chambers when Mace Windu was presiding on a disciplinary case would tell you differently; and they no-doubt would in a heartbeat. The Clone Wars era Jedi was not one that anyone liked to cross, even someone from the Skywalker/Solo line of things.

With a startled realization, Adra found herself standing next to her X- Wing. She shook her head, mentally scolding herself for her lack of attention. As many of the Masters she had been around had told her, if you didn't pay attention you would live a much shorter life. And, of course, you'd probably die a more embarrassing death.

Her thoughts pushed aside as Face's X-Wing landed on the bay. A smile flickered quickly across her face, and then just as quickly was replaced by her usual uncaring look. Adra eyes traveled from the X-Wing towards the entrance to the building, and then to the person exiting it. Gaeriel Captison might've been a politician, but she was also one of Adra's best friends.

Returning the mental greeting to the other, Adra allowed her attention to, once again, be claimed by Face. The pilot was angrily exiting his X-Wing, his droid whistling angrily and rushing off to congregate with the more agreeable R2 and R5 units. No doubt, Face had given the vaping droid a proper bawling out for Kell's bad judgment.

Nicola's and Bror's crafts landed a moment later, allowing the droid another escape from its obviously-pissed owner. Adra almost felt sorry for the thing; almost. It had, on numerous occasions, caused more trouble than it was worth, but all-in-all, Vape was a pretty agreeable little thing. The two Jedi got out of their crafts, Bror going around his A-Wing to inspect a spot on its underside, Nicola towards Adra.

"How'd it go?" Gaeriel's voice broke the stark silence that had settled restlessly over the hanger.

Kell and Cloud landed all but a second after the question met the air. The look Face wore turned from bad to worse quicker than Han Solo could fry an Imperial. Adra knew that Kell was going to be getting a second round.

As soon as the pilot's feet had touched the ground, Face was on him. "What the Sith did you think you were doing! You nearly got Wedge demoted; do you know what that would've done to this squad?!"

Kell stabbed for protests as quickly as his mind could grasp them, obviously unprepared for the onslaught. But he wasn't quick enough to blot Face's flow of words.

"It would've served you right if Mace Windu had yelled at you! You deserve every bit of it!" Face fumed in a rage all his own, then fell back on his earlier argument. It seemed that that was his greatest annoyance of the whole affair. "If Wedge had gotten a call from the Jedi Council concerning something one of his squadrons had done while on loan, what do you think his-"

Kell held up his hands in defeat, scooting out from the space between Face and his X-Wing. "All right, all right already! I get it! Calm down, would ya?! I've heard it enough!" And with that, Kell dragged Cloud off toward the building to have a little 'chat'.

Adra looked quietly over toward Gaeriel, a smile crossing her face once more. "Does that answer your question?"

Gaeriel nodded, stunned. "Yes, most definitely. Face, there are some messages for you in your office."

Face rounded at Gaeriel, now throwing his temper at the undeserving Jedi. "Great, really great! If they've got more bad news, there'll be some blaster bolts flying around."

A shocked look crossed Gaeriel's face as Face turned his yelling at her. Adra suppressed the urge to comfort her quiet friend; she never got in the way, unless you counted the fact that the Imp thought she was a hindrance merely because she was a Rebel pilot.

"No, actually. They're to do with X-Wing repairs..." Gaeriel's voice trailed off as Face continued fuming.

Nicola took that moment to take charge; just as Face opened his mouth, presumably to yell some more, the Jedi brought her knee up and foot out, catching Face sharply in the stomach. Face doubled over, the wind knocked out of him.

"You done, Poster Boy? Well, you're done now. First it was Adra over a tiny mistake that turned out to be irrelevant anyway, then it was Kell, though I can understand that as the rest of us would've loved to do the same. Only next time you decide to bawl someone out, do it someplace in private, where the rest of Coruscant's ears will be safe! So from now on, just shut the Vong up; I don't want to hear another negative remark from you for the rest of the week. If I do, you'll be in more pain then you're in right now."

Face nodded dimly and began a slow retreat toward Wraith headquarters. Nicola, however, turned to Adra.

"Now Adra," she began again, her voice totally changed from the moment before, "What's say you show me how to rewire a droid to the X-Wing. You can show me on Face's."

Adra smirked at her friend and then glanced over in time to see a half-panicked, half-resigned look on Face's face. A simple nod in answer to the inquiry sent her looking to his X-Wing.

"Sounds good. First things first though. We need to find that Sithing droid of his." Face looked truly panicked at that.

"Adra, don't rewire Vape...please?" his face pleaded silently, but a glare from Nicola sent him scurrying inside instead of persisting.

"He's probably run off with the other droids by now," Nicola said with an amused smile.

Adra nodded and went over to the group, calling Face's droid to her. The droid seemed to hesitate at the sound of a human voice calling, though looked much happier with his required compliance knowing that this human, at least, wouldn't be bawling him out over something that wasn't his fault.

* * * * *

Kell led Cloud hurriedly down the hallway towards a room, any room, to chat with his friend about this sudden revelation given by Mace Windu. So the bawling out hadn't been exactly enjoyable, but he'd learned something. After going down the hall a bit, Cloud wrenched his arms out of Kell's grip. Kell, caught off guard, decided to let his friend go without a fight. Rather than leaving Cloud to go off on his own whimsical devices, he followed him to the lounge where Cloud proceeded to slump in one of the chairs.

Looking over to his friend, Kell shook his head. The pilot looked more upset, more ruffled than Kell had ever seen him; not that he didn't have a perfectly good reason to be, Kell sympathized. Cloud at last looked up from staring into the chair opposite him and turned his gaze on Kell.

"Well? Are you going to bawl me out now?" Cloud's voice cut into the silence; defiant, as usual. Perhaps he was imagining it, but behind the defiant determination, Kell thought he heard a note of what might've been uncertainty...even panic.

"No, why would I bawl you out? I just wanted to ask you a few questions. Like why you didn't tell me you used to be a Jedi. How'd you get kicked out? Can you still do any of that Jedi stuff?" his voice was rather exited; Kell decided than rather to wait standing by the door, he'd take a seat. And he did, with very little flare or style.

Cloud looked at his friend, almost flabbergasted by the string of questions that had come out. Still, Kell had always been honest with him; he would be the same.

"I didn't tell you that I was released from the Temple because nearly everyone I've shared this detail with has ended up hating me, for one reason or another. I got kicked out because, apart from other things, I took Mace Windu's old lightsaber and turned it into something like a thermal detonator," here a smile flicked on his solemn face...ah, the memories, "As to still being able to do 'that Jedi stuff', yes I can do some. I wasn't around at the Temple long enough to learn anything past levitating stuff and using the Force to talk and whatever... But it's not something you can just turn on and off. You either can use the Force or you can't."

Kell's face told him that he had been right in thinking that he could be honest. A smile began to creep over his features, at last breaking into a grin. Kell, for all his enthusiasm, managed to keep sitting. Turning Mace Windu's lightsaber into a bomb? It was brilliant! He grinned slightly at the thought of it, then silently berated himself in the same breath that he hadn't thought of such a thing first.

* * * * *

Nicola looked over Adra's shoulder with interest as she removed the outer covering from one section of one of the X-Wing's engines. Their actions appeared completely normal, though the conversation humming between them way anything but.

_Adra, I've got a better idea. Let's not actually blow this thing up...Let's just make Face fret about it until he comes and makes a fool of himself. _Nicola's voice in the Force registered easily in Adra's mind.

Only a smile on her face registered to Nicola that her friend had gotten the message. _Sounds good to me.__ This should be fun._

Adra directed the droid to come closer the X-Wing, fiddling with some of the wires as she went. Then she looked up and toward the window of Face's office where he stood, watching anxiously.

_So Face,_ Adra's voice coolly echoed in Face's mind, causing him to start at the unexpected intrusion. Adra nearly laughed aloud at the look he made. _Would you prefer something to remember it by, of can I just vape it?_

A laugh managed to force itself through at the sight of Face running out of the building he had been so keen on getting to all of fifteen minutes earlier.

"Please Adra! In case you haven't noticed, the New Republic is a bit limited on supplies right now. I'll do anything!" Face's outburst was through by the time he skidded to a halt in front of the two Jedi.

Adra caught her friend's eye, grinning slightly. Nicola grinned back, forming her own ideas. Before Adra could respond, Nicola did it for her.

"Anything, Face?" At Face's unsure nod, she grinned. "Then you can take Adra on a date."

At the gaping look Face wore, Nicola smiled, as she knew she'd caught him off guard. Reading him easily through the Force, she grinned slightly as both unsure anxiety and panic rushed off him.

He finally seemed to find a way to answer. "I-if I have to..." Face grinned slightly at Adra.

Nicola looked over at Adra's face at it slowly got angrier and angrier before answering Face. "Yes Face, you have to." Nicola figured it was a good a time as ever, so she voiced her next bit, knowing Adra would undoubtedly want to murder her. "Besides, she's not nearly as mad as she appears to be."

* * * * *

_YOU SITHSPAWNING PIECE OF BANTHA FODDER!__ I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!_ Adra's voice reverberated through the force, shocking Nicola.

_Language Adra; what would your mother say?_ Nicola's reply, though concise, was not only a way to continue talking with Adra, but also to hide a bit of laughter that was rising in her.

_She'd reprimand me and then give me ten better words to use_. A smile began to cross Adra's face and she laughed very slightly. Then she looked over toward Face. Kell and Cloud were now standing next to him; they had undoubtedly come out during Nicola's and her discussion. "I'm sorry, did you want to put a word in?"

"Oh, but it was so fun not letting them talk!" Nicola's voice was full of a genuine laughter and sense of fun. _Are you still going to kill me Adra?_

Kell took that opportunity to pipe up that he had, in fact, something to say. "I told my sister about your little error on Cloud City." His grin made it very clear to her that he had not only told Tyria, but he had done so with a very dramatic fashion.

Adra looked over at her friend, smiling slightly. _No, I don't think I'll kill you Nicola. She walked over towards Kell, putting a hand on his shoulder. Still smiling, she saw the slight fear rise in Kell's eyes as it turned from friendly into a sickeningly sweet smile that everyone recognized as fake. A second later, a green blade and constant hum of a lightsaber stationed under Kell's chin hit the air. "You're so nice Kell. I wish you hadn't."_

* * * * *

Jaina smiled slightly at the scene unfolding before her. She was leaning against her X-Wing, the one that nobody seemed to have noticed landing, and was trying quite hard to not laugh. Finally, she shook her head at Kell's remarks and pushed off the smooth side of her X-Wing to go over to Kell and put a hand on his other shoulder. With a smile that many of the enemies she'd faced would've told you to retreat from- and quickly- she held Kell's shoulder in a lock.

"You know Kell, since you told Tyria, does that mean I get to tell Wedge that you nearly got him demoted?"

The look on Kell's face was enough. He gaped and turned as best he could to look at her, despite her grip. "You wouldn't!" His face made it quite clear that he was hoping, rather than expecting.

Jaina was about to respond when a figure exiting the Wraith building stopped her flow of words. Tyria had come out with a datapad and comm. headset on her head. Jaina loosened her grip very slightly on Kell, her interest sparked by Tyria Tainer's sudden appearance.

The hacker walked over to her brother, Adra and Jaina, not seeming to notice the green blade that was still firmly planted beneath her brother's chin. "Adra, I think I figured out what's wrong with the system we have. You see..."

And before Jaina knew what happened, Tyria had gone off into a long rant filled with extremely long and technical-sounding terms that she would need the Jedi Archives just to help her find how to spell them. No doubt Adra understood perfectly.

Her hunch proved right. Adra was nodding every now and then and by the end of it, a new understanding seemed to be etched on her face. Well, understanding, along with what appeared to be annoyance. Jaina watched in silence as Adra closed down her lightsaber and walked over to her fellow slicer and friend's side to look at the datapad. Shaking her head, she smiled very slightly.

"That's all it was? How annoying," Adra was looking as if she couldn't believe she had been such a blind idiot to not have noticed. Jaina herself was mentally shaking her head. Those two needed to have their own section in the Archives; they were just amazing when it came to computers.

"I assume you've already fixed it then?" Adra's voice cut across Jaina's thoughts, as she had been amusing the look on Mace Windu's face at the suggestion of putting Adra Tallon in the Archives.

At Tyria's nod, to which Jaina was again unsurprised, Adra took out her own datapad. After thumbing in a few things, she entered a pin and began editing in another thing to Wraith's systems.

"I promised I'd do this..." Jaina smiled smugly as Adra glared up at Face, as if it were his fault. "Sarcasm."


	6. Face Loran and WHO?

**Chapter Six – Face Loran and _Who_?**

Face glared around at Adra, but behind the apparently level and even somewhat calm gaze, he had to smile at her. It wasn't that he exactly liked having to yell at the Jedi...but what else was he supposed to do about the girl he liked? Had she been openly smitten with him, as some had been a long time ago, he would've been able to cope; however, her plainly shown disinterest was enough to set him off in an insane little world of his own.

"Oh, thanks. Too bad you couldn't have done it before," Face said snidely.

Then he looked over at Kell and Trickster Goddess that was releasing the former to go after Adra. Jaina looked over at Tyria, shaking her head.

"You know, I've got no clue what you just said, but hey! It must be working!" Her unusually light temper was gone in the time it took her to look over to Face. "And _you_ know, even if it might be impossible, if you don't appreciate Adra's work, I'd be more than happy to file for a transfer with Wedge or Jag for Adra to be moved into Saber." All this she snapped very irritably at Face. _You know Nicola, I think I like your idea._

The smile on Adra's face told her that her friend had not, or so it seemed, been listening in. The smile quickly faded as she gave Face a sour look. "You know, I could've done it before. That is, if you didn't give me job after endless pointless job to do around headquarters." Fixing him with a cold gaze for another second, Jaina could then see her friend look over towards herself and Nicola.

_You know that wouldn't be quite possible. I can give you a few reasons. One, I'm in Vanguard under Jag anyway. And two, Wraith is more like a volunteer thing, but hey, if I keep having to take the blame for stuff, there might be an opening for you! Then you can yell at Face all you want without having to worry whether of not you'll be getting a dismissal notice, thanks to that 'goddess' status of yours._

Jaina smiled at her friend's voice as it came through the Force. Then the doors of the building swung open again, revealing Cloud Ritril as he reemerged from his singular moment inside the building..

The pilot stopped after taking all of two steps out of the building, his fellow explosion expert coming over to stand by him. "So what'd I miss?" Cloud said jovially.

Jaina noted with a bite of pleasure that Gaeriel appeared to be quite fed up with the demolition experts for the day. The other Jedi came back to the fighting group and then grabbed an ear on each of them, leading then towards the building Cloud had just left. "It's way over your politically-challenged heads."

Nicola glanced up at Jaina, hiding a grin at the exact moment Gaeriel began leading the explosion duo inside. _I'd ask you which one of my fabulous ideas, Goddess, but I'm pretty sure which one you mean. Right now, I'm toying with the idea of planting an idea in Face's brain. Something along the lines of him spontaneously kissing Adra._

Jaina had to smile in spite of herself; Nicola could be too much sometimes, but then again, those two really needed to quit fighting. All the power to them if it worked.

* * * * *

Kell winced as Gaeriel pulled on his ear, "You missed a hell of a lot, Cloud. A heluva lot. And Politics Girl, can you get off my ear? I promise not to blow anything up."

Gaeriel, however, didn't look too impressed. She merely raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Hmm, let me think about that. How about...No." Rather than making them go into the building, she turned, allowing them to finish watching the scene.

Looking suspiciously between Jaina and Nicola, Adra glared at the former, guessing at the jist of the conversation inevitably going on between her friend and Jaina. Of course, she didn't exactly know that what she was thinking was wrong, but that was beside the point. Adra merely looked around the yard, her confusion rising at seeing nearly the entirety of Wraith squadron outside.

"What's going on... Nicola? Jaina?"

Adra could see Bror watching his padawan from his A-Wing, a smile playing on his face. Not daring to guess what was going on in his mind to give him the grin, she looked back at Nicola and Jaina, hoping that maybe they'd answer her.

Nicola, however, seemed to have other ideas because she grinned at Adra, then looked around the group. Nearly everyone in the squad was outside, with the exception of Vana and Jade, both off in their 'lairs', and Asyr was Sith knew where. Nicola looked towards Adra, smiling as to give nothing away. "Oh nothing, Adra. Absolutely nothing."

Nearly the second the words were out of her mouth, Jaina suppressed a smile as Face whirled around to face Nicola. "No! I'm not doing that!"

* * * * *

Adra looked at Nicola, her suspicion seeming to fly through the roof. "Alright. What are you trying to get people to do?"

But Nicola didn't seem to notice her, as she was currently occupied with giving Face a Targeter glare. "Do it Face; you really don't want me to hurt you." Leaving him with a mental push towards Adra, she absently 'answered' her friend's question. "Just shut up for a moment Adra. I'm a bit busy right now."

Face made a mental note to possibly kill Nicola later on. Possibly. Half by choice and half by the force of Nicola's mind, he walked over to Adra and kissed her.

Adra was totally taken aback; she stayed in a mental shock for a few seconds, then unconsciously returned the kiss, her arms linking behind his neck. She seemed to be totally oblivious to the fact that just about the entirety of Wraith Squadron was here to view this 'interesting' point in their squad leader's life.

* * * * *

Gaeriel gaped openly at Face and Adra, unconsciously releasing Cloud and Kell. A smile began to creep across her face as she looked over towards Nicola, wondering just how much of a part she had _really_ needed to play. Gaeriel looked over towards the Goddess, her smile broadening at Jaina's remarks.

Jaina herself remained silent for a minute, then shifted her position to scratch her chin, as if she were perplexed with a 'seemingly usual' scene. "So...I guess I should just chuck the idea of asking for a transfer with Jag then." Her words came off quietly, so as not to interrupt the couple.

Nicola smirked over at Jaina after she spoke, then proceeded to answer, though through the Force. _I could've told you that a while ago Jaina. Sithspit, do I love being a Jedi. Now, who wants to tell Wedge that Face has finally found love?_

The two retreating figures of Kell and Cloud were scooting quite quickly out of Gaeriel's reach, Kell leading his friend. However, they pair had gone all of three paces before Kell stopped. Jaina smiled at the look he wore and the thoughts going through his head.

Yes, Face was, in fact, _kissing_ Adra. And yes, he had been yelling at her only a few hours earlier. But quite frankly? There was nothing wrong with that picture. The two just had issues with showing each other they were in love.

Across the docking bay, Bror rolled his eyes, his voice playing through the Force. _Nicola, you had better not be playing with Face's mind._

A smile flashed across Jaina's face as one of fake-indignation passed Nicola's. She was pulling a good act of being offended; Jaina had to give her that. She was not at all perturbed by Nicola's voice answering her Master's. _Why Bror!__ Would I do that? No but really, all I did was dig through Adra's mind a bit and then give Face a mental push in the right direction._

Any further thoughts were cut off at the sight of Vana Sage walking out of the building's headquarters. Had it been anyone else, it wouldn't have been a bit deal, but Vana Sage left her 'lair' about once every two months, sometimes more if she was feeling pleasant. Of course, she was nothing in comparison to Jade. If people wondered how Vana could live in seclusion, it was probably not wise to introduce them to the silent Jedi, Jade Veila. Jade had the wonderful ability to avoid social functions, no matter how many direct orders from a General came. Jade left her 'lair' about once a year at best; and the reason had to be really good to get her that far.

_Hmm, I dunno Nicola. How about...yes?_ Jaina suppressed a grin at Vana's cynical sarcasm. Of course, you couldn't really blame the kid. She was all of 17, after all. _Considering you've already hooked yourself up with Bror. Wait! I know! Next you're going to be trying to get Kell and Gaeriel to agree, then Tyria and Cloud! Oh, oh! Then you can see if you can't get Jag to get hitched with Jaina? It all comes together now! Oh, but wait! I know! Then you'll be aiming to get Thracia hooked up with Windu! That'll be the end of us._

Vana moved away, shaking her head, and went over to Tyria instead. She handed over a datapad to the computer hacker, then looked up at Coruscant's sun. It had been a long time since she'd last ventured out to see it.

* * * * *

Asyr came off the top of the building known officially as Wraith Squadron Headquarters. She quickly sent a knowing smirk and a nod to Vana and her remarks about Nicola's having already found her love. Of course, Wedge had to be told these things... But Nicola had left one little detail out. _Nicola; I'll tell Wedge that Face has found love... if you tell the Jedi Council that Adra has._

Considering she didn't exactly know Nicola well enough to know her reaction to the proposition, not that she really cared about it either, the Jedi walked over to Vana with a hand calmly resting on her lightsaber.

"What's the datapad for then?" A smile etched across her face as she looked over at Face and Adra, a slight laugh bit back before it met the air. Then she remembered what she had come out for, in all seriousness, and told her news. _I got word: there's a new squad starting up. Comet squad, of something. I guess it's an ancient squad from early-Empire days that got decimated. Supposedly, the Senate has given an 'all-systems-go' order on restarting the squad._

Speaking through the Force to buy Vana a bit of time for her 'quick argument plan', she moved quickly away as Nicola made a very violent move toward her friend. Several lightsabers chose that moment to stop the padawan, but even so, Asyr decided now might be a good time to get on the comm with Wedge.

She climbed carefully into the cockpit of her X-Wing, keeping her head down and out of the way of any possible blaster bolts in the near future. Tapping her comm on, she smiled unconsciously at the green light announcing she could speak and would be heard.

"Rouge Leader, this is Wraith Eight speaking. I've got some news for you concerning, eh, Poster Boy and Computer Girl that you just _might want to hear."_

* * * * *

Inside Rouge Headquarters' lounge, Tycho's head jolted up as beep coming from the comm caught him completely off-guard. Hearing the comm's message, however, he looked towards the other end of the room.

"Hey Wedge? Message for you concerning Face and Adra. Asyr Sei'lar is speaking."

Wedge nodded sharply, pulling out his own comm and flipping it on. "Alright, what is it Asyr? Did Face and Adra kill each other?"

A muffled laugh came over the comm as Asyr seemed to think of the right words to answer him with. "Actually...er...they seem to be feeling quite the opposite. The direct quote is 'Face seems to have found love'. They were kissing, last time I checked."

Having been about to ask her to clarify what she meant, Wedge found himself only just managing to keep his comm in his hand as she finished. Before replying, he turned the speaker on, yelling into it. "Hey Wes, get over here!"

He toggled with the speak button on the comm, continuing his talk with Asyr. "Asyr, is this a joke? Or are they expressing interest in each other?"

Silently, his conscience began its disbelieving remarks. _Sithspawn!__ Who would've thought... Face Loran and Adra Tallon._

Wes entered the room just behind where Wedge sat, his lips parting to allow the first snide remark of a greeting, "What the Sith now Wedge?" Well, he tried. He got to the word 'the' before her heard the part about Adra and Face liking each other. "Sithspawn! Face Loran? Garik 'Face' Loran?"


	7. That's 'Goddess' to You

**Chapter Seven – That's 'Goddess' to You**

Nicola's gaze jerked up sharply from grinning at Face and Adra just as she made a very violent move towards Vana. Several lightsabers flashed on to stop her, including Bror's silver one. Her hand reached automatically for her own, only to find it gone. Taking her eyes off Vana for more than a second, she saw that it's now in Bror's hand. _VANA SAGE!__ I am going to kill you! And I'm going to kill Adra as soon as she's done with Face! If the Council hears that I'm "dating" my Jedi Master, they will kill me! And you never know, I might just set Gaeriel and Kell up; or maybe even you and Kell! _Her voice seemed to echo through the Force, as she had hoped it would.

More than Vana's face was in shock, however. Kell looked between Vana and Gaeriel, taking an involuntary step back. "Nicola, you wouldn't really do that to me, would you? No offense, Gaeriel, but really Nicola, please, don't!"

Kell's sister, meanwhile, was gaping at Vana. "Vana, I thought you were my friend! I've already got a brother who loves explosives and now you want me to date someone who loves them?"

A smile creased Vana's face for a moment, then she looked over at Nicola incredulously, shaking her head. Nicola, however, glared at the Jedi; Vana Sage might be a Jedi Knight, but she was still younger than Nicola by a year. Besides, she was still one up with Targeter training. _Nicola, that's not fair. Adra had nothing to do with this. Neither did Gaeriel or Asyr. If you don't want it out, then talk to Jedi Girl who's got Mace Windu begging her not to leave. So just set them up and you're home free if two Council members get married._

Then she turned over to Tyria, smiling a cross between feeling sheepish and apologetic. _You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that._ Her gaze returned to Nicola as the other Jedi shrugged slightly.

_Who said life was fair, Vana? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to talk to Wedge and a certain Rogue._ And with that, Nicola gave a sharp yank to her lightsaber through the Force, causing it to leap from Bror's hand and jump to her own. Clipping the cylinder to her belt, she went over towards the _Droid Luck and it's owner sitting inside. As she walked over, she carefully aimed a thought to Jaina. __I think it's time Vana meets Janson._

Tyria looked after Nicola, shaking her head and frowning slightly. "You Jedi do know that some of us can't mind speak, right?" Without really waiting for the reply, she looked over towards Vana, smiling slightly now. "It's fine. And I'd watch out for Nicola if I were you." With that, the pilot walked over to her X-Wing, settled on one of the S-foils and went back to work.

* * * * *

Jaina smiled very slightly as she followed Nicola. _Don't tell him I'm here, but I want to have a bit of my own fun with him before you "introduce" them, okay? A sardonic smirk rose on her face as she laughed slightly. The smirk of a Trickster...Wes was going to get a shock at realizing that he had chosen the Yuuzhan Vong Goddess Yun-Harla to 'flirt' with. _He told me to...er...'look him up' when I was back on the ground, so I think I will. And I'll scare the Sith out of him in the progress._  
  
Her friend grinned, a smirk rising on her face, no doubt at the thought of what Janson would do. _No problem.__ Let me go talk to Janson real quick. I figure that I'll tell him to 'jump in that yellow piece of Sithspit he calls an X-Wing and get over to Wraith headquarters'. _With that, Nicola used the Force to jump easily onto the right wing of Asyr's X-Wing._

* * * * *

Looking up from her comm, she smiled hopefully at Nicola as the Jedi came up behind her. Nicola merely smiled and shook her head. Then she explained in a lowered voice so the comm wouldn't catch it.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to bite your head off. I just need to talk with Wedge; well actually Janson, but you get my drift." At that point, she heard the reactions coming from Rogue headquarters. A smile ran along her face, Asyr's a mimic of it.

Nodding to Nicola, Asyr turned back to her comm. "Wedge, I'd say the latter of your two ideas. My bet is that a change may have to be made to the register on Adra's name in the future. Anyway, is Wes right there? Nicola wants to have a chat." _What are you planning to do anyway?_ Her suspicion rose quickly as she watched the smirk on Nicola's mouth broaden.

Nicola, however, just shook her head and rolled her silver eyes. _Just watch and listen Asyr. And learn from the master._

A reply came over the comm. before Asyr could reply, Wedge's voice sounding a bit amused. "Yeah, Wes is here. Let me put him on."

They could hear the comm trade hands, and unconsciously, thanks to the Force, they could hear Wedge thinking, _Face and Adra? That's almost as controversial as Leia and Han. I'm getting too old for this._ Nicola and Asyr both grinned at this.

Then Wes's voice crackled over the comm for Nicola. "What did I do this time, Nicola?" Asyr smiled and got up out of the cockpit of her X-Wing, letting Nicola take it. Before she let her take over the comm though, she replied.

"Oh, I don't think you're in trouble this time. It's more like one of our squadmates."

_Oh shut up for a minute Asyr; you're giving away my wonderful plans._ Nicola joked with the other Jedi, then hopped into the cockpit. Returning to the comm, she smiled at it. "No Janson, just get in that yellow piece of Sithspit you call and X-Wing and come over to Wraith Headquarters. You had better not have forgotten where we are."

* * * * *

Wes seriously considered telling her that had forgotten, but then realized it wouldn't be smart to do. Instead, he found a sarcastic remark to fit. "I really don't like your description of my X-Wing Nicola, but I'll come. And please, don't use any of that Targeter training on me. I'm too old for that crap."

With that, Wes grabbed his helmet and rolled his eyes in an odd form of farewell, then left for Wraith headquarters. The flight over was short and uneventful, and all-in-all, he was almost glad when he saw the landing platform of Wraith Headquarters. He landed his yelled X-Wing at an empty spot, jumped out, threw his helmet into the cockpit, then looked around for Nicola.

* * * * *

A smirk rose on Jaina's lips as she watched the yellow X-Wing land and its owner jump out. She walked calmly around from the other side, her lightsaber jumping to her hand and activating so that the blade was a centimeter under his chin.

"Rouge Four, this is Saber Leader. You told me to look you up when I got on the ground, so I am. Though, you arrogant little monkey-lizard, I'm not impressed at all by your calling me 12."

"Oh Sithspawn! I'm dead," was the reply Jaina got almost immediately. Wes started to back away, but had hardly gone two steps when he bumped into something very solid.

Jagged Fel raised an eyebrow at Jaina, nodding slightly to the rapidly retreating Janson, who had just bumped into him. As Wes turned around, he spoke mildly. "Hello Janson. Long time no see. Though we've certainly heard more than enough about you." His blaster held casually at his side.

Jaina grinned very slightly at Jag, using the Force to speak, rather than enlighten Janson. _Didn't know if you'd show up.__ I'm glad you could make it on such...er...short notice. _Returning her gaze to the quietly cursing Wes, she closed down her lightsaber and returned it to her belt. Only now she had a blaster in hand. "So, let's see. Wes Janson's dead, by his own proclamation; what else can we stack on him to maybe allow me the chance to kill him."

Behind Wes and his paling face, Jag couldn't help but offer a small smile. "We could always add the fact that he's an arrogant little lizard-monkey. Or the fact that his X-Wing is in serious need of repainting."

"Why the Sith do people keep making fun of my vapin' X-wing?" Wes's voice broke nervously. Mentally, he was making a note to himself to track Nicola down after; she had obviously set this up. Of course, that was always assuming he was alive to track her down later.

The blaster Jaina had been toying with was removed from its holster as she went to stand next to Wes. Putting the blaster arm's elbow on his shoulder, she grinned at him in a sickly sweet way. Knowing that he would, undoubtedly, be wishing he hadn't answered the call, she grins in spite of herself. "Yeah, I suppose you'd like to know. How about because we can."

On a rather stupid impulse, Wes rolled his eyes. "Was the Council under mind control the day they let you join them? Because you seriously need to tone down those threats."

Jaina's face let up on all pretences of her being in a nice enough mood to take the jokes. She knew Janson got the idea as her blaster leveled easily with his head. "You know, sometimes I wonder the same thing. Then I remember that Jacen and me are direct relatives to Luke Skywalker, and also very talented with the Force. Meaning we're more of an asset to the future of the New Republic than you are. Get the picture? Oh, and I almost forgot: being a Goddess might also come into play on this one."

On Wes's other side, Jag's blaster raised to mirror Jaina's. His, too, found a good niche to hold itself at. "Here's a golden opportunity to apologize, Janson. Though, knowing the Goddess, she probably won't accept it." Jag winked over at Jaina as the Jedi nodded in agreement.

Wes, however, was making a vain attempt to get away from the blasters. Though, with the combined holds of both Jaina and Jag, he couldn't budge. "Okay, fine. I apologize, Great One," he began, sarcasm holding back surprisingly well, "for anything that I might've done. Can you lose the blasters now?"

Jaina's sarcasm, however, matched what he was holding back. "Decisions, decisions." The blaster finally moved away from his head, though her finger remained on the trigger. "Fine. Apology accepted. And that's 'Goddess' to you. Now come and give love-struck Wraiths some gossip."


	8. Ground Coverage

**Chapter Eight – Ground Coverage**

Nicola half-glared at Jaina from her perch on top of Asyr's X-Wing, acting as if she were offended. Of course, one could hardly blame her. She'd gone from being in total control of the situation to being almost the person they were talking about. So much for keeping her and Bror's feelings to themselves, eh? Nicola jumped from the X-Wing's hull, walking over toward her friend.

"Love-struck Wraiths? I find that very offensive, er, Jaina. I worked very hard to get Face and Adra where they are now."

Wes, meanwhile, was sighing with relief at the removal of blasters. Nicola watched him, her silver eyes piercing the air around him, but he non-the- less walked over towards her, speaking as he did so. "Thanks for the help back there Nicola," he looked at her cynically. Then he looked towards Jaina. "And there isn't really any gossip from Rogue; unless you count the fact that Mirax got herself in trouble with the Council again." He shook his head, as though half-ashamed and half-amazed that she could get in that much trouble.

However, Jaina was pulling out her datacard. "Already knew that. You thought it yourself: you didn't know what the Council was thinking. That doesn't mean I'm not on it." Nicola smiled at Jaina as she glanced over, grinning. "And they also decided on the date for your trials. You've got a week, thanks to my meddling." She winked, half-joking. "That way you don't have to worry about one of us swooping down on you with the sudden revelation that a padawan is in love with her master."

Nicola couldn't help grinning as Jaina told Janson off once again. The Sith spawning koochoo deserved to be put in his place and, fortunately, Jaina didn't seem to have any qualms about doing just that. At Jaina's news on the trials, she grinned, a bit surprised. "They finally fixed a date for my trials? Amazing!" Then her face darkened into a glare at Jaina's next words. "Why is everyone talking about that today? And especially when Wes Janson, who can't keep his sithing mouth shut, is here!"

Grinning, Jaina pulled out her blaster, waving it again slightly. Wes recoiled away from her, as if the thing could brand him...or other. "Wes Janson won't be saying anything. Besides, should a message be sent, I'll change it to irrelevance." Jaina glared at the cowering Wes pointedly for a minute, then put her blaster away.

Not being able to do anything but smile at Wes's face, Nicola nodded slightly, then pulled out her own blaster to threaten Wes- just as Jaina put hers away. "So if I hear anyone outside of Wraith talking about this, Wes, I'll know whose big mouth was open."

With that, her blaster found its holster again. Moving over to stand behind Jaina, she smiled slightly to her. _Torturing Wes is more fun than setting people up. I'll have to do this more often._

Not being the only one looking at Wes's face, she was sure, Nicola was pleased to find Jaina laughing just the same. Then she nodded in agreement. "Quite right. Oh and Wes, always remember that if you have grudged against a squad leader and they know about it, they have 12 times the number of guns to command than you do."

Jag had moved during Jaina, Nicola and Wes's little chat; now he was standing next to Jaina. An uncommon smile crossed his face for all of a moment, if that. Jaina looked over at him once, then looked back to Wes.

"And, of course, when the squadron leader is rather good, shall we say 'friends', with another squadron leader, that makes 24 times the laser cannons aimed at you."

Nicola smiled at Jag and Jaina as the two cast each other second-long glances. The two then looked at Nicola, a bit of a grin on Jaina's face. "Well, that's ground coverage. Of course, there might be more to threaten with. However..." Jaina trailed off, leaving Janson to imagine what Jaina and Jag might do to him.

* * * * *

Two weeks later, a group was present at the Jedi Temple. Coming into the Council chamber she hardly ever entered, Jaina looked over to Masters Yaddle, Astarta and Windu. Smiling very slightly, she walked to the center of the room and looked over to watch the rest of their 'group' walk in. Jaina nearly sighed at being in the room she'd so thoroughly tried to avoid. Jag came in to stand next to her, glancing at the three Council members present. Both Jaina and Jag nodded in greeting to the only Council member and pilot besides Jaina and Wraith's Thracia, Astarta.

Adra was next into the room and, Jaina was pleased to see, trying very hard to not laugh at her boyfriend's face. Jaina herself had to laugh, considering Face was making a very clear effort to stay out of Master Yaddle's line of vision. She looked over at the green Jedi Master for a moment, wondering what she was thinking. The look of amusement plainly showed on her face was enough. No doubt Face was hoping he wasn't presenting the Jedi another reason and excuse to hit him over the head again.

While calm, as a Jedi was supposed to be, Jaina could see the fun and amusement flickering in Yaddle's eyes. Then the master glanced over at Mace Windu, no doubt sizing up his mood. You couldn't hoodwink Yaddle easily; she knew, undoubtedly why their group of eight was there.

Next entered the seldom-seen Lucas Skywalker, along with his new girlfriend, Vana Sage. Nicola, Jaina grinned slightly, had been furious. In the matter of the time Vana had slipped from Wraith headquarters' clutches to right now, she had managed to thwart all of Nicola's hopes of setting the 17-year-old Vana Sage up with 42-year-old Wes Janson. For both Vana's and Lucas's sakes, Jaina was almost glad her uncle wasn't present on council duty today.

Nicola and Bror were last to enter the Council room. She was glaring at Lucas, her thoughts broadcast for their party to hear. _That's not funny Lucas. I've told all of you guys before that padawans are not supposed to date their masters and that is the reason Bror and I were the last to be open about our relationship. The rest of you don't exactly have that problem._

In all seriousness, Jaina could see what Nicola meant. She was dating a pilot, even if it was behind closed doors. Adra was dating her life's love, Face Loran. And then Lucas and Vana were already Jedi Knights. They could, technically, engage in a relationship, even if the Order wasn't exactly 100% a-okay with Jedi marriages.

Jaina nodded to the assembled group just as Bror put a hand on Nicola's shoulder, and she smiled to herself. Bror's voice broke the Force-attuned silence. "Calm down, Nicola. In a few minutes, hopefully everything will be settled."

At this point, however, Mace Windu looked up, an eyebrow raised at the large group. Jaina saw him glance at Yaddle and she had to wonder if there wasn't a conversation going on between them. At last, he spoke to them, his voice calm. "You seem to all be having the same dilemma, is that right?"

Jaina glanced around the group, deciding to speak up. One never could tell if they would do anything; besides, maybe she could persuade the Council not to explode.

"Yeah, that's about the jist. Unsurprisingly, you all know what the dilemma is. So, Master Windu, Master Yaddle, Master Astarta, how about you figure out between all of you if you're okay with it...considering you let my cousin marry Alex Gallia, my brother marry Celtic Wesell and my uncle marry Tahiri Daragon, etc, etc. Let's not have this turn into a debate."

To Jaina's inward delight, the look on Astarta's face was one of almost surprise at the amount of information she was bombarding them with. Yaddle's face was one of something closer to amused. Or pleased? Whatever it was, it made Jaina realize how slim the possibilities they were going to be yelled at by Mace Windu.


	9. Leaders and their Twics

**Chapter Nine – Leaders and their Twics**

Nicola shifted absently from foot to foot for a moment before deciding to speak up. After all, it seemed that at least two of the Council members were okay with the idea of Jedi dating. As for Mace Windu, Jaina looked as if she'd bite his head off if he decided to yell. Stepping around the group so she could see the Council members and vise versa, considering she was the shortest present, she cleared her throat.

"Um, actually, the other three simply want to date. But, um, Bror asked me to marry him, and I accepted, and we will, provided the Council gives us permission."

A sense of relief washed over her as Yaddle, and not Windu, got up and approached. The Jedi Master was funny in a way; she didn't seem to notice or care that she was half the rest of their sizes. Yaddle had a completely no-nonsense attitude about her that made you respect her- and she knew it.

The green Jedi stopped in front of Nicola, tapping her chin twice. Then, Nicola noted, she looked over at Bror and then back to Nicola herself. The green eyes smiled before the face did, but when the face did, she nodded.

"Be married, the two of you shall."

* * * * *

Though Master Yaddle's words were simple and short, Astarta was pleased with them. She smiled very slightly, a rare emotion coming from her. Then her gray eyes flicked to rest on Adra and Face. They made an interesting pair, those two. According to what Yaddle had said about the Cloud City mission, Face had been yelling at Adra.

She watched quietly as Bror bowed to Yaddle, saying softly, "Thank you, Master Yaddle."

Astarta looked over at Mace, only to find him smiling very slightly at Yaddle's proclamation. The gray eyes followed the brown as they tracked to Jaina and her rather blatant accusations. Well, technically they were honest facts with an added touch of the Trickster impetuosity. Mace's eyes then flicked over to her, as if he were trying to get her opinions on the matter. Smiling slightly to him, Astarta shook her head. _I have no objections._

Though she could tell he was wondering about Face and Adra, she smiled as he began to speak.

"Then by all means, it looks as though we have more Jedi who are likely to marry."

About to put in her own remark on the matter, a look of half-confusion, half-annoyance passed her face as her comunit began to beep. No, not just her comunit, but the comlinks of Jaina, Jag, Adra, Face and Nicola as well. Without pausing to think another second, she flipped her comm open, and calmly answered it.

"Siennt here." Privately, she registered that this wasn't some little thing; no, not at all. Not with all the squad leaders and their twics being paged.

Half consciously, she saw Jaina grab her comm and open it, saying sharply, "Goddess. What's up?" Jag's comm was thumbed on not a moment after Jaina's. "Fel here."

Face was busy reading something, it appeared, but he was soon done. His comm was open, just as Nicola's was, and the two spoke at nearly the same time.

"This is Poster Boy. Wedge, is this about the message I just received from Iella?"

"Wild Knights Leader here."

The tone that answered the array of calls was grim and to the point. "Yeah, Face, this is about that. I need all squadron leaders and twics to report to Rogue headquarters immediately. Alert your pilots and tell them to report to their own headquarters. This is not a drill. We've got some serious Imperial problems here."

* * * * *

_Half an hour earlier_

Wedge smiled down as his two daughters as they stood side by side in front of him. Iella had ventured to Coruscant so that his children might actually get to see him once in a while. Of course, he was home. Sometimes. Every other night. Maybe. At best. However, that wasn't the point right now. The point was talking to his children.

"So, you want to be a fighter pilot when you're older, Myri?"

He couldn't help laughing when he saw the expression on her face. Next thing he knew, his younger daughter was climbing onto his knee. "Yup!" She confirmed his statement with high enthusiasm, "Just like you and Uncle Tycho and Uncle Wes and Uncle Hobbie!"

The pilot glanced up at his wife once more, finding her watching down the hall to make sure Syal, their older daughter, didn't find a way to get into trouble. Something on the docking bay, however, caught her eyes. A slight smile creased her face as she obviously recognized which ship it was. Iella turned to face Wedge, speaking as she did. "Wedge, I think you've got company."

He followed her gaze out to the docking bay, immediately recognizing the _Millennium Falcon that had just seemed to settle there. With a slight laugh, Wedge watched as Han came down the ramp, muttering darkly, so it seemed. However, the strides that brought Han into the building were more purposeful. Han appeared in the doorway all of a minute later, nodding to Iella._

"Wedge, this is urgent."

The smile on Wedge's face faded and was instantly replaced by a serious one. Setting Myri on the ground, he said, "Myri, go find your sister. Your mother and I need to talk with this old Pirate." A slight hint of a smile crossed his face as he watched Myri leave and he closed the door behind his only slightly grumbling daughter. Then he looked back to Han. "Alright Han, what is it?"

Han didn't appear to be amused by his usual nickname; he didn't say another thing until the door was closed. However, once the latch was shut, he turned to face Wedge once again, his expression tried.

"What is it?" he repeated dryly. "It's _Knight Hammer_ and _Chimaera_ being spotted moving around as if they were a day old. And they're headed towards Coruscant System. In other words, they've caught us at the perfect point- when we're still building our frelling fleet. We're going to need every squad you can scrounge up into the air. Including whatever there is as a remnant of Wraiths. They can do more than information if they've got guns."

"Sithspawn!" was all Wedge could say for a minute. Then he suddenly snapped out of thinking only in curses. Absolutely wonderful. Imperials. Reaching for a datapad, he called up the comm frequencies for the squad leaders and their twics. At the same time, he began sending out a stream of instructions to his wife. "Iella, I need you to get a hold of Face and see what information the Wraiths can give us. While you're at it, get in contact with Talon Karrde and that niece of his, Charisma. They might know something. And then see if you can get Tycho, Hobbie and Janson up here."

Hit by another brain wave, Wedge looked once more to Han. "Have you told bel Iblis about this yet?" As he spoke, his hands punched in the comm frequencies for the Trickster, Astarta, Tycho, Jag, Tyria Sarkin, Nicola, Adra, Face, Kell, Erysi and Alinn.

Iella, it seemed to Wedge, had merely grabbed a datapad and send out messages as fast her hands would allow. Face and Talon Karrde, no doubt. And then she picked up her comm, getting it to what was, again no doubt, Karrde's frequency.

* * * * *

Talon Karrde was sitting calmly onboard the _Wild Karrde_ when a text message came through to him from Iella Wessiri Antilles. Brow furrowed, he sent a reply back as quickly as his datapad could transmit, giving her his comm's frequency. The moment he knew she had the connection, he began talking.

"All I know without pulling out datacards is that both Grand Admiral Thrawn and Admiral Daala are back and they have their ships mobilized. Other than that, when I get to Rogue headquarters, I can give you datacards. I'm nearly there."

He was almost shocked- even appalled- with himself. He was going to give out information free of charge. But then again, anything to thwart Thrawn and Daala would be worth not making credits off of.  Especially after what had happened last time, with the Katana fleet, and everything revolving around that.

Looking over at his niece, he smiled slightly as he saw her chair swivel around. Charisma, it seemed, began accessing all recent information they had on the two admirals. After a moment, she found the storage of the datacards, got up, and went off to find them. Talon Karrde merely shook his head after her. She was something, Charisma was. That's for sure.

She reappeared about one standard minute later and passed the datacard to him. "Here, all the information we've got on them. I'm going to the _Shatterglass." Karrde nodded and watched as Charisma nodded to the crew members, then headed towards the docking bay and, undoubtedly, the __Shatterglass._

After a moment, he turned back to his comm, only half listening to Iella talking with Wedge. When she was done, he made mention of the cards. "Charisma found the datacards. I'm going to be landing soon."

* * * * *

Wedge looked back over to Han, still waiting on the answer to the bel Iblis question. The ex-smuggler seemed to realize the same thing, for he answered it at once.

"No, sorry, came straight here. I didn't think that far."

He nodded slightly to Han. "Okay, can you call him for me then? I've gotta talk to the squad leaders soon." As the last tiny voice checked in, he said half to Han, half to himself, "As in now." Then he swiveled his chair around to face the wall and began talking.


	10. Orders

**Chapter Ten - Orders**

Having nearly jammed Sparky's 'awakeness' by taking off within two minutes of the call and then powering her way over to Rogue headquarters, Jaina opened her comm to the rest of Saber squadron.

"This is Saber Leader. Get the Sith to base, code red. This is not a drill."

Jaina flicked her comm off as she landed down next to the _Falcon_, jumped out and tossed her colorfully decorated helmet into the seat. The next second saw her sprinting to the building.

Behind her, Vana's X-Wing was landing. The Jedi inside was in the building after Jaina, hardly a pace behind. Using the Force to keep her attuned with her surroundings- past the pilots- Jaina smiled slightly as Vana's loose thoughts came to her. Jag would, she agreed, be at Rogue base soon. With everything going on in the New Republic, she and Jag had hardly had time to see each other... Jaina shook the thoughts from her head; she was here to get her orders and then to get Saber into the air. But still, one couldn't help missing having Twin Suns where Jag had been her wingmate.

The group in Wedge's office consisted of Hobbie, Tycho, her father, Iella, Wedge and now Vana and herself. Tycho then walked over to Wedge, speaking in a hushed tone that none-the-less carried across the silence of the room.

"You want me to get the squad up?"

Wedge's nod sent Tycho out of the room, passing Adra Tallon as she entered it. Jaina smiled to her friend, nodding to the pilot as she passed. The other pilot nodded in turn, then looked over to Han Solo as he took out his comm.

* * * * *

Han Solo had been watching his oldest child as she came in, almost having to laugh at the circumstances. Wedge was calling all squads out. That meant that nearly everyone in his family from his father-in-law- a Saber pilot- to his youngest grandchild- a Rogue pilot- would be flying into the fight. The last thought was most certainly 'comforting', considering the girl was only 9. Jolting back to reality, he nodded to Wedge and thumbed his comm on.

"Bel Iblis? General Solo here. We've got Imperial news."

* * * * *

Adra had come in to be greeted by Wedge, who seemed to be making a point of saying at least 'hello' to everyone. However, as she took a step to go and sit down, he stopped her. Adra raised an eyebrow at the general, waiting with- amazingly- a hint of patience.

"I need you and Tyria to work on hacking into their systems. Any information we can get is a plus. Oh," Wedge pause, grinning, "and I heard about you and Face." Adra's face made it quite clear that he didn't need to say any more, this she knew, and before he left to do something else, Wedge winked at her in joke. Then the general's attention was directed away to his twic. "Put the squad on red alert and get Janson and Hobbie in here. Oh, and get Mirax too. The Council may view her as a trouble maker, but she's got a lot of experience with Imperial attacks.

As Wedge seemed to have a minute, Adra chose to give him a little reply of her own.

"Wedge, what do you mean 'work on'? I've already hacked into their systems at least 5 times in the last two days. They never change their passwords."

Adra left Wedge with that, looking to see who else she knew that was present. Alinn Varth, Comet leader, was over in one corner; she had to nod to the strict pilot. Jag may've been raised as a Chiss who had no emotion, but on any given day, Alinn could probably give him a run for his money. Stifling a laugh, she went over to where Nicola was standing somewhat between Jaina and Vana. Adra nodded to her squad leader and best friend, a hint of a smile playing on her face.

"Imagine. Code red on such a little thing as Imps." Adra grinned at Nicola and the other grinned back at her, sharing the joke.

Nicola had to laugh with Adra, because it was true. Then she added in her own bit, "Yeah, lots of fun! When people ask me how I spent my first days as a married woman, I'll tell them I blew some Imps straight to hell." A moment later, her face was a bit more serious. She had pulled her datapad out, sending a message to all the Wild Knights, putting them on full battle alert. Half to herself, half to Adra, she asked her about Tyria. "Is Tyria here yet? I just remembered something you guys might want to try and get into."

Then their attention was drawn elsewhere; namely, Tycho and his exit into the hall. Adra allowed herself to remain quiet, using the Force to search around the room for misgivings and other people's worries. Tycho came back in a moment later, followed quickly by a clearly disgusted Hobbie and a clearly relieved Janson. Reaching out with the Force to see what was bothering one and delighting the other, she laughed softly. Hobbie had, apparently, been winning a sabacc game when the message came in. And, of course, Janson had been the one losing. As Hobbie passed Adra to get to Wedge, she smiled at his muttered comments.

"...Sithing Imps wanna have fun with Rogues? We'll make 'em remember why half their pilots never get sleep due to fear of dreams including Rogues hot on their tails..."

Hobbie, it was true, had a sense of humor, even if he were a pessimistic pilot who's favorite control was the eject button. He was always coming up with some sort of sarcastic remark or something similar. Sort of like Adra herself. Adra looked around and grabbed on of the remaining chairs, sitting down with its back against the wall. Hobbie's voice came across the group's chatter, filled with its usual joking nature.

"You rang, O Envy of all Corellia?"

Janson's voice wasn't far behind and it held just as much sarcasm. "Oooo, which overgrown Imperial baby do we get to blast this time, O Mighty General?"

Adra watched Janson carefully as he scanned the room. Wedge looked liked he was coming up with a very nice remark of his own. But Janson, it seemed, had caught sight of Jaina. A smirk crossed Adra's face as she watched him inch over a bit, putting Hobbie between him and the Jedi. Mirax Halcyon burst through the doors at that exact moment, giving Janson a break from Jaina's relentless glare.

"Your timing couldn't have been better Wedge. You have just saved me from being buried alive by the Council- namely Mace Windu," Mirax said, coming to a halt next to Hobbie.

* * * * *

Jaina looked at Wes for another second and shook her head. _You're fine. I'm more into blowing up a Supe than you, at the moment. A look of untrusting relief crossed the older pilot's face, but she paid it no heed._

Jag was the next person to enter, Jaina saw with a bit of delight. His pace wasn't noticeably quickened; things like this just didn't seem to get him rowed up. But yet, he was still the highly trained professional that could fly better than everyone in the New Republic, with very few exceptions. Vana returned the nod Jag had sent to his twic, and then the latter came over to stand behind Jaina. A slight smile on her face, she quickly masked it, and sent him a greeting through the Force.

Up front, Wedge was rolling his eyes at Janson, Hobbie and Mirax. "Alright you three, knock of the jokes and get serious. We've got serious problems on our hands. Daala's plotting a major attack on the New Republic."

Janson seemed to draw back on his hardly-used serious side. He blinked a few times, gaping at Wedge and his news of Daala. Jaina saw him look around the rest of the room, then speak. "So... what's the attack plan?"

Adra had leaned up against a wall, pulled out two datapads and had begun punching in access codes. A smile crossed the Jedi pilot's face as she handed Wedge one of the cards. Then she seemed to begin the process again, this time the smile turning to a look of annoyance. Tyria interrupted Jaina's thoughts on what Adra was doing as she had just burst in the door, looking highly annoyed. The datacards in her hands quickly exchanged grips as she forced them on Wedge.

"Here. It's all the types and amounts of ships they're using, and the focus of the attack. I'd have gotten them to you sooner except Face is a bit slow in alerting his squad members of Imperial attacks." As she was talking, she glared over at Face. Face, meanwhile, was standing next to Adra, reading over her shoulder.

Jaina took the opportunity to have a sideways look at the datapads Wedge was shuffling. A note was made on who was in charge of what... and of what the Imperials had. Super Star Destroyers. Great. Sithin' great. Shaking her head and grumbling slightly to herself, Jaina opted not to say anything- something she rarely decided to do. Instead, she bit her tongue, watching the situation.

Wedge was in his element, that's for sure. He was all-military as he read the datapads and giving random information to his wife. He appeared about to say something, when Han interrupted.

"It looks as if Karrde made it." His gaze was following the path from the building to the docking bay.

* * * * *

The _Wild Karrde_ touched down, showing Karrde exiting as quickly as the ramp had gone down. With a glance over his shoulder, he saw the _Shatterglass_ land as well. The datacards in hand, he walked calmly into Rogue headquarters, nearly laughing at the amount of hot-tempered pilots that had been- miraculously- gathered under one roof without killing each other. His strides slowed as he neared the office, slipping inside. He walked right up to the generals, his gaze levelly meeting theirs in turn.

"It's a good thing I hate Thrawn and Daala. Elsewise, I'd charge you a sithload for those," his voice was calm and controlled as he handed the cards to Wedge.

Charisma Karrde had followed her uncle in, as he knew she would, and he smiled to her. She however, just shook her head.

"And I still think we should've charged them something for this."

Karrde couldn't help laughing. His niece was, he noted with pride, a Corellian smuggler to the bone. It seemed he was not the only one to appreciate this though, for Han Solo was looking on in approval. The ex- smuggler certainly hadn't lost his love for the game. Everyone turned quickly to see the newest person entering the room. It turned out to be General Garm bel Iblis. The Corellian ex-Senator seemed to command silence, even without asking it. He stopped by Wedge and Han, nodding to the pilots in the room.

"So, Daala's back again?"

Han nodded in return to bel Iblis's question. He opened his mouth to reply, but then stopped. Karrde nodded out the window at the luxury yacht that had just landed. The _Lady Luck it undoubtedly was. Lando Calrissian's appearance at the top of her ramp confirmed that. The other general appeared to be sending out a string of curses and Karrde had absolutely no doubt as to who they were aimed at. It was common logic: If the Imperials were attacking, it obviously meant they'd regrouped. And Sith only knew how many other fighters they had because Daala, even with her lapse of intelligence and military genius at times, certainly wouldn't send all the forces the Empire had into battle. And over a shipyard at that. Lando had disappeared from view moments before, and now his footsteps were heard as the pilot came closer. The pilots, already parted, nodded to him as he passed, and Lando came up towards the others._

Karrde relinquished his spot next to Han so Lando could take it; that seemed to be his customary place. Wedge looked over at Lando, nodded, and then went back to reading the information Karrde himself had supplied. As Wedge finished up, Lando was the first to speak.

"So, Generals, what are we dealing with this time?"

Enyri, Comet Squadron's twic, walked in all of a second later, taking her spot next to her commander. Alinn looked over, nodding to her twic, but didn't say anything. The room was filling quickly, but that didn't stop pilots from being able to spot their squadmates. Enyri's voice carried over to Karrde, considering Alinn and Enyri were standing closest to him.

"Sorry, I got held up by Kuat port authorities. Seemed to think I was smuggling weapons to the Sith."

Karrde saw Alinn nod, and was slightly surprised to see a small smile on her face. "A shame they can't recognize the rest of us as easily as Wedge or Han."

He looked back over to the Generals as the commander shot him a glance. It seemed that the entirety of squad captains and twics were present. Karrde looked scrutinously over at Wedge- could they get on with it?

* * * * *

Tycho walked around the heavily crowded room, was jammed into the wall at one point by someone- he didn't catch who- backing up, and finally made it to the group of generals. Rubbing his arm where Adra Tallon had taken the courteously of jabbing him with her elbow, he listened absently to their chatter for a minute. Apparently, they were just debating small things like X-Wing color. Something that could easily put them up as 'unprepared' would be his announcing to the group that they needed to listen. So he did.

"Alright everyone, shut the Vong up. We've got our little datacards now, so listen to the plan." With that, the Alderaanian turned to look at Wedge, grinning sardonically. "There all yours." The glare he received hardly unnerved him. So, he had been right in thinking that Wedge wasn't ready for him to announce quiet. Too bad. Wedge glared at Tycho for a moment longer, in which time Tycho mock bowed to him, then grinned as Wedge replied in a most unprofessional manner. No doubt he would be getting a revenge strike from Wedge in the future.  The very near future.

"Thanks Tycho," was the sarcastic reply. Then Wedge stepped forward, clearing his voice. "Alright everyone, I'm going to make this short. The Imperials, in the form of Admiral Daala, are going to attack the Bilbringi shipyards in about nine and a half hours. As soon as our plan is finalized, it'll be sent to you and the rest of your squadron's members. If you or any of your squad members have any problems, transmit them directly to me, Tycho, Han, Lando, or bel Iblis. The basic idea of the plan is to make the Imps think they're going to take it easy and then hit 'em hard. Anyone have any questions?"

Tycho grinned slightly, then his face fell serious once more. So much for thinking about revenge he could pull on Wedge once his commander's had been achieved. With a glance around the room, he saw Jaina nod Astarta off, then go over to her father.

"The _Falcon's hyperdrive should work for you, if you need it. Doubt you will though. I don't usually see you as the type to run from a fight."_

* * * * *

Jaina turned from her father to walk out to the hanger, but stopped in front of Jag. Nodding to Nicola and Adra, she smiled at the two. Then her gaze returned to Jag. Somehow, she didn't really care if the gathered group thought her un-Goddess like or not. It wasn't as if they hadn't known her exclusively as Jaina Solo, Han Solo's highly stubborn daughter at one point.  Or, most of them at least.

"See you later then. Don't even get the vague idea of letting the Imps shoot you." In spite of her earlier decision, she looked up at Jag and then kissed him. The rest of the room's contents were, undoubtedly, staring at them. Too bad. They could deal with the supposed Yuuzhan Vong Goddess being human for a minute. All of a minute later, she was at the _Trickster_, her helmet on.

"Let's go, Sparky," she said as she climbed into her cockpit. Listening unconsciously to her R5 unit as it powered up it's connections to the engines, she powered up her craft and lifted off. The X-Wing was gone within the minute, its direction: Saber Headquarters.

* * * * *

Adra couldn't help grinning at Jaina's actions before leaving the room. Jag was talking to his twic with a slowly fading smile on his face. Then she looked back at Nicola, her face serious once more.

"I'll take _Suprosa_ back to base and make sure everyone's up and running," she offered quickly to Nicola, who merely nodded. Adra turned to go, then remembered what she was supposed to tell Wedge from Gaeriel. Taking the five strides necessary to get over to Wedge, she tapped him on the shoulder, rather than interrupting him verbally.

"Gaeriel said she'd fly as Eleven's wingmate since her twin isn't flying Twelve yet."

Having no doubt in her mind that Wedge wouldn't turn down the extra help, she nodded to the people she passed on her way to her X-Wing. Once inside the cockpit, she double-checked her R3 unit and then maneuvered the _Suprosa around, speeding off to Wild Knights' newly erected base._

* * * * *

Vana walked over to Jag the moment Jaina was off to the docking bay. She, for once in her life, kept her mouth shut about Jag and Jaina's actions. Instead, she kept her mind on business. "Orders, Colonel?"

Jag glanced over at Vana, his grin, she noticed, slowly fading. "See if you can get any more information about the Imperials from General Antilles or any of the others. Then get back to base."


	11. Saber Squadron

**Chapter Eleven - Saber Squadron**

The _Malacia landed outside Saber Headquarters, hardly twenty minutes after Jaina's red alert had been sounded. Though she knew the squad leader as Jaina Solo, her fellow Council member, she supposed she had to deal with knowing her as the Yuuzhan Vong Goddess Yun-Harla for days like these. Oh well. She climbed down from her cockpit, giving her craft a once-over before turning to the red-brown building opposite. Saber base. To some it looked like a random building that the New Republic had placed there, but to those who were on the squadron, it was as close a home as many had. Well, it was that case with other squads and their bases at least. But what with 11 of 12- and the one was an exception Jaina willingly made- Jedi on the squadron roster, one wouldn't find it hard to believe that most made their homes in the Temple. Again, however, the squad leader was an exception. She was more focused on Naboo- namely Theed Palace where her cousin was currently the Nubian Queen._

Her eyes randomly roamed around the bay, noting that no one else had docked yet. Her suspicions seemed confirmed by the lack of crafts stationed around her- well, unless you counted Anakin Skywalker's TIE fighter that he'd somehow, miraculously, managed to keep from destruction after his Vader days, and also his X-Wing. But, those weren't really oddities at Saber base. They were nearly always there. He had too much fun in his sithing Sekotian ship to worry about where he left his other crafts, even if they did attract a lot of odd remarks that the squad didn't need. However, Anakin Skywalker never seemed to realize in full that because Jaina Solo was Goddess Yun-Harla, she had enough attention fixed on her without his helping it. TIE fighters on New Republic soil never led to anything good, or so most people were concerned.

About to step into the building, an odd ringing sound pressed itself into the air. Speaking of the Sith, she thought absently to herself, here he comes now. Off in the distance she could see an X-Wing yielding to the far-superior speed of a green colored craft. The _Jabitha_ was hard to miss at the best of times, let alone when the 70-year-old mad man who owned it decided to let all of Coruscant's ears and eyes have a look at her. The Sekot ship seemed to double in speed as it approached the base, but then, just as quickly, it slowed. Thracia could tell that the reduction in speed wouldn't be enough to land by the time the craft made it to the building. Henceforth, she wasn't surprised when Anakin sent the ship into a vertical dive. The Skywalkers and Solos would always have that insane gene in them, and if anyone had any doubt as to which family member all of them inherited from, they wouldn't for long.

In the next instant, Anakin Skywalker was out of the green-scaled ship, patting the thing's hull fondly. While she herself was a pilot, Thracia would never be able to understand what made him love ships so much. Not that it was really worth anyone's efforts to try. Anakin Skywalker, with his through-the-roof midichlorian level, was one of the mysteries of the universe that even Mace Windu and Yoda couldn't figure out. Both had long given up trying. And, while Mace had that ability to be able to yell for days without loosing his voice, it was common knowledge that after he yelled at Anakin Skywalker, he would take far less occupants in the Council chamber the next day. And all that was if Anakin didn't yell too much in return. If he did actually get worked up enough to give Mace some of his own, Force have mercy on the ears that listened in. Mace usually took about two Jedi the next day, if that.

Thracia nodded to Anakin as he looked over at her, though she could tell that he had far more interest in talking with the person who had just landed the X-Wing he'd passed. Anakin Solo was up in the cockpit. That would explain a lot of things. The X-Wing had been landed next to Anakin Skywalker's _Chosen One. It came as hardly a surprise when, having received his X-Wing as a gift from his grandfather, Anakin Solo had named his _Chosen One II_. It was common knowledge that the Anakins were very much alike, which was almost a shame. To the Council's relief, however, Anakin Solo didn't have nearly the same temper as his grandfather before him._

Before Anakin Solo got out of his X-Wing, Anakin Skywalker had walked over to where Thracia was standing. He nodded to her by way of greeting, watching his grandson.

"Hello Thracia. How's Mace holding up?" His words passed off as a joke between the two, though more so to Anakin than herself.

"As well as can be expected after having to yell at you. I think this is the closest I've ever seen him to having his voice lost," she returned. To her mind, it was a funny prospect, but she let none of it show on her face. In spite of the fact that she wouldn't mind rooting Anakin on, she couldn't let him think it was okay for him to yell back at the guidance the Council was trying to give him.

Anakin Solo chose that moment to come over to them, his boyish face a grinning wreck. "Well, I still say I'd love to be the one flying her into battle."

"And I still say that you won't be. That's my job," was his grandfather's reply.

Thracia merely shook her head, leading the way down the hall to Jaina's office and Saber's main conference room.

* * * * *

Jaina glared after her grandfather's speeding ship; this was certainly no time for him to be goofing off. But he always thought it was a good time to have fun, whether it really was or not. A whistling bleep from Sparky made her laugh at the droid's disapproval of the Sekot ship's speedy debut, leaving her nodding in agreement.

The _Trickster touched down a moment later, Jaina herself hopping out. Her helmet was tossed roughly back into the cockpit, and as a reward for her actions, Sparky whistled another disapproving note._

"Oh hush you," was her all-but-annoyed reply. The Jedi pilot walked over to the door, and hit the release. The doorway opened, allowing her access to the hall. As she started to walk down it, the sounds of the pressure release sealing once more met her ears. She glanced over her shoulder just once, in double-checking Sparky wasn't going to try anything, and instead saw _Twin Suns and Mica Alvarez land. Then Jaina turned back to the hallway. Walking into her office-slash-conference room, she nodded to Thracia, a fellow Council member, and then glared over at her grandfather. Under normal circumstances, she would be asking him a sithload of technical questions about the__ Jabitha, but being a military officer was just slightly more important right now._

"Skywalker, that was unnecessary under the current circumstances. You're not taking that thing into battle," she said as she passed where he and her brother were sitting. Mica had walked into the office in the middle of Jaina's sentence, though she was doing a very good job of hiding the laughter that Jaina felt on her mind.

Her brother, however, was laughing up a storm at his grandfather. As he finally seemed to get some control over what he was saying, he grinned at their grandfather, patting him on the shoulder in mock sympathy. As if to add insult to injury, he said, "Must stink to be placed under your granddaughter. Thankfully she wasn't around enough when I was younger for me to think of her as my annoying elder sister."

Then he looked over at Jaina, flashing a wary grin which she nodded to. Her brother's words might not be the exact truth, but she'd let them pass for now. She had, in fact, been around when he was younger. It was their parents that were somewhat lacking that that department. But if it made him happy to think of her not as an annoying old sister, then it worked for her.

The entry of one Kyle Katarn caused her to stuff her thoughts away for a later time. Hearing his words as he passed her brother and grandfather, she silently thanked Piggy's and Sharr's extensive 'Goddesses don't smile at mortals!!' lessons.

"I'm not going to say a word," was all that Kyle needed to say. It was enough to send both Anakins into fits of laughter and it was all Jaina could do to not join in. Thankfully, Astarta, Jaina's twic, walked in that moment, defusing the situation a bit. She went to her traditional spot next to Jaina.

"Alana Ynrer says to make sure that your pilots double check their ships before taking off. She doesn't want to have to pick up any more EV pilots than she has to."

Jaina merely nodded in a reply to the serious Dathomir. That was one of her unconscious goals: make Astarta laugh or smile within the next 5 years. Before Jaina could offer a reply, the three Jedi Barabel hatchmates walked into the room, their hisses punctuating the stiff air. In spite of the emotion they appeared to be expressing, it was common knowledge that it was a form of expressing amusement and nothing else. The three nodded to Jaina as they took their seats.

It was Tesar who spoke, saying, "We are here Stickz; Tails One, Two and Three." Jaina nodded to Tesar, and in turn the rest of the Barabel hatchmates.

"Always good to know," was her calm reply. Jysella's entering of the room, however, was anything but calm. The Corellian pilot hurried into the room so fast, with her head down to read a datapad, that she collided head-long into Mica's back. A startled noise escaped both ex-smugglers, and then Jysella quickly apologized.

"Oops! Sorry Mica, I wasn't looking."

Kyp Durron, in his usual fashion, was the last squad member in the room. Jaina hardly glanced up at her other wingmate and partner, even if he wasn't technically called the first of the two. She saw him give one of his obnoxious smiles to Jysella, and was almost pleased to see the glare he got as a return. Then Jysella looked down once more as Kyp took a seat. Jaina, however, continued reading her datapad.

After a moment, she looked up again. Her eyes flashed around the room, now that it was complete, and then she cleared her throat.

"Wedge has sent you all instructions. But I should have you know that we're going to be off the ground with Vanguard-" she saw several pilots glance over at their wingmates with a hint of a smile in their eye- "right after Comet beings their assault. Meaning you all have enough time to check over your X-Wings and inform either myself or Alana that there's a problem. Make sure you refuel. Oh, and nobody shoot at the Advanced TIE."

Here, she glared at her brother and grandfather. Up to that point , she had just been fulfilling her normal 'make sure you do, and make sure you don't' list that was a required thing so that she couldn't be blamed for an error later on if she assumed her squad knew the drill. Which they did. However, she didn't want to argue that against three angry generals. Then she continued on with her 'speech'.

"Anakin- my brother- is going to be flying that sithing thing. The green Sekot ship that's going to be in there is, as we all know, Saber Twelve- my grandfather Anakin. Don't gun at it, even if it can heal itself, though I'd hardly think I need to tell you all this. But if that ship can't get over it's wounds, it'll die and then we'll have a very mad Anakin Skywalker after our heads," she paused once more to glare at her grandfather in particular, then looked around at the entire group. "Check your instructions, sign in with your flight leaders and make sure your wingmate doesn't have anything they've overlooked on their crafts. I don't need to have a squad fall flat on it's face because of a sithing weapons malfunction." With that, she dismissed them all, glaring after the Anakins as they walked out.


	12. Rogue Squadron

**Chapter Twelve – Rogue Squadron**

Sola landed _Naboo, hopped out of her cockpit and carefully looked the X-Wing over. Laser marks covered it from wingtip to wingtip, but the craft was still as good as ever beneath the S-foils and durasteel coverings. At last satisfied that the X-Wing was battle compatible, she headed towards the building. So much for spending time with her family... but that didn't really matter much now anyway. She'd be flying with over half of them in little more than nine hours. Entering the deserted hallways, she looked around for other signs of life._

With none yet found, she continued walking, though a pang of sympathy crossed her face, tied with her last thought. Jacen and Celtic's youngest child would be flying with the squad today. If Ari had been older, say around 15, she doubted she would've worried as much... but the girl was only 9. Sola's thoughts then jumped around to land on her own children. They might fly someday. When they were 14- or older. Now passing the exiting squad leaders and twics, she entered the nearly deserted office. Seeing Wedge Antilles, Han Solo, Iella and two other pilots still present, she looked at her commander.

"Should I go wait in the lounge, or stay here?"

Meanwhile, Ari was reminding herself over and over again not to use what had been, amazingly, her first tongue- Huttese- when asked a question. At the same time her X-Wing touched down, she caught sight of her aunt's within the throng of others. A second glance around the platform enlightened her to where her grandfather and the _Millennium Falcon_ had gone at such a quick pace. At least she wasn't alone in this... Although, from what's she'd previously heard of Rogue Squadron, you had to be a pretty good flyer to get in. Well, being a Rogue at age nine was certainly a good thing. However, the other half she'd heard about Rogues was that the pilots that had been in for a long time usually had a very broad sense of humor. With the Force as her witness, she sure hoped they didn't start picking on a kid: she might have to joke back.

A slight smile crossed her face at that thought. There were advantages of having the Yuuzhan Vong Trickster Goddess as your aunt. Including having one up on the famous- or infamous, depending on who you asked- Wes Janson. With a bit of a shock, she found herself at the office door. Well, now or never. _All Rogues report. That's what the message had said._

Walking inside, she smiled at her aunt, and then looked around. General Wedge Antilles was standing near her grandfather and what were, apparently other figures of importance. She noticed General Antilles' wife sitting behind his desk. That was an odd sight, to be sure. Nearly laughing aloud, she quickly shut her mouth and went over to stand by a wall.

Wedge watched as both Sola Gallia and then Ari Solo came into the office. One nine-year-old newbie, one sane original; he didn't know which was more strange. However, they were both good pilots. He nodded to Sola and smiled.

"No, I think you guys can stay here," he said, and then he turned back to talking with Han.

Tycho was watching the girl that had entered behind Sola. His first thought was that it one of Wedge's children- probably Myri- who'd found a flight suit and had suited up, trying to get a chance to fly without her father noticing. He was just about to tell the girl to go find her sister, but then stopped to inspect her flight uniform. After a minute, the Alderaanian's eyes widened a bit. So this was the Solo kid.  The one Wedge and Han had a bet going on about her and her older twin. He turned and tapped Wedge's shoulder, grinning, "Here's your first shot at making a pilot out of a Solo." He motioned to the girl, his grin getting broader.

The pilot then looked over at the door as Hobbie entered. The first of Hobbie's actions nearly caused him to laugh. He had obviously assumed that the Solo kid was one of Wedge's girls because as he'd passed her, he had put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. Try as Tycho might, he couldn't keep a straight face.

"What?" Hobbie's question was a bit unsure, as if he might not even want to know.

Tycho indicated what he'd just done, though even that was a struggle over the laughter trying to burst out. Hobbie looked over at "Wedge's" daughter and seemed to realize his own mistake. His only words were 'Oops' and then he broke out into laughter himself. As he walked over to the girl, he fought to keep his laughter under control. And he managed... just barely.

"Sorry about that, short-stuff. Thought you were one of the 'Exalted One's' girls. The name's Derek, but Hobbie to friends. What's yours?"

* * * * *

Ari had fixed her hair as soon as the pilot had wandered off to the other one, wondering what in the name of the all the stars had caused him to do that. It was probably one of those "Rogue Squadron" things that Aunt Sola had warned her about. As he came back over though, she got a bit defensive, on the pretence that he was going to do the same again. However, she heard him out and then shrugged, muttering 'Koochoo' under her breath, not really caring if he could speak Huttese.

"Ari Solo. Leah tukr irgo chuba," she said in an offhand way. Realizing what she'd done, a smile appeared on her face as confusion crossed the other pilot's. Now it was her turn to laugh, and she did. Grinning slightly, her tension losing its grip, she made a struggle to get it out in Basic, hating that she had to actually _think about it. "I'm Ari. Nice to meet you."_

She could tell instantly that he was relieved she 'translated' her words for him, though Ari really had no doubt that they would get it...eventually. A smile began to form on the Hobbie's face once again, and then he spoke.

"Nice to meet you, too. Have you met our Exalted General-of-a-commander yet?" he questioned. Ari quickly shook her head. She had heard an awful lot about General Antilles, but had never actually met him. Either that, she had but didn't remember it.  And while she also knew that her grandfather and he had some sort of underhanded deal going on, neither she nor Aurra could work it out of Grandpa Han. Hobbie seemed to be pleased by her response and immediately took her hand, leading her to what must've been the General. Then he spoke to the other, "Ari, Wedge. Wedge, the girl I thought was one of your daughters."

Iella couldn't help laughing at Hobbie's words; Ari could see the ex-CorSec officer getting up from behind her husband's desk to get a better look at the pilot in question: a.k.a., Ari herself.

"It's probably a good thing she's _not _one of my children," the calm voice was hardly a surprising accompaniment to Iella Antilles' calm face. "She'd be getting a good bit of sense knocked into her. Though I have to wonder, General Solo-" the words seemed to change tact at the speed of light and were very suddenly directed at Han- "why you'd let your granddaughter fight Imperials at age nine. Though, that's none of my business." Her voice paused again, and Ari found herself looking straight into the woman's eyes. The next second, however, Iella had looked to her husband. "I'm going to find our daughters and make sure they haven't decided to try and sneak into squad lineups. Have fun trying to mold a Solo." With that, the now-motherly figure went off down the hall, presumably to find her children.

This left Ari quite-consciously looking up brazenly into the face of General Wedge Antilles, survivor of two Death Stars. However, the Corellian's face was kinder than she had expected it to be. There was no doubt about his keeping his laughter in check, but that didn't stop the smile from his face. At last, the General looked up to Hobbie, still standing next to her.

"No need to introduce us Hobbie. I've known Ari for a long time," his words were directed to Ari and Hobbie, but his eyes tracked his wife as she left the room. He quickly spoke up before she disappeared, saying, "Don't worry, I will. And knowing Myri, she's probably tried to." Shaking his head as his wife left, he nodded to Hobbie and Ari once again, dismissing them. Then his talk went back to bel Iblis, Lando and Han.

Janson chose that moment to make his comments heard. He started with Hobbie's debut at mistaking a Solo for an Antilles. "At least you didn't accidentally insult Jaina Solo! And for some reason, she finds my X-Wing offensive.  Can you imagine?"

At that interesting moment, the _Intruder_- Gaeriel Captison's X-Wing- made its landing. As Gaeriel got out, she stood looking at Ari's X-Wing for a good few minutes. Ari had no doubt as to what she was thinking. Probably something on the lines of either the owner was a newbie who had enough friends to land a spot as twic somewhere, or one of the Rogue pilots had banged their X-Wing up enough to get a new one. After a moment, in which Ari studied the calm face of the Jedi that she knew was to be her wingmate, a look of comprehension seemed to cross the Jedi Knight's face. Sure enough, the woman walked into the office minutes later, her duo-colored eyes roaming in search of something. They paused on Ari's face. Ari offered a cautious smile to her and she found it was returned immediately. Then the Jedi Knight mock saluted to Wedge, breaking eye contact with Ari, and the former went to talk with Ari's Aunt Sola.

Technically, Sola wasn't her aunt. She was her first cousin once removed, or something... but it was so much easier to say 'Aunt Sola'. Besides, the quick-tempered, yet quiet Skywalker preferred it to other titles. Anyone could tell you that.

Mirax Halcyon's reply to Wes Janson seemed to bring everyone back on-planet. She had looked like she was sleeping, but that illusion was quickly murdered as the cocky Corellian's voice carried across the room. "Janson, everyone finds your X-Wing offensive. It's hardly difficult for the Goddess to pinpoint you for someone to find offensive."

Kell Tainer walked into the room at that minute, able to catch a few of the comments. Though they weren't technically supposed to separate themselves if they happened to be in other squadrons, Kell still took his tradition position in the seat next to Face.

"You know, with Mirax's diplomacy, Janson's maturity, Hobbie's wonderful eyesight and optimism, and Poster Boy's and my good sense, I don't know how we can lose," his voice carried across the room, providing those near enough to hear with a good laugh.

Face, it seemed, wasn't in a good mood, however. His glare at Kell quickly told Ari that. So she was hardly surprised by his sharp and serious reply, "If those are our weapons, then we're doomed. And if you keep this up Explosion Boy, I might have a talk with Nicola and ask her to do something about you and Gaeriel."

Whether he had consciously done it or not, it seemed Face had cracked a highly explosive joke. Everyone short of the Generals, Sola, Ari and Gaeriel broke out into fits of laughter. Ari looked at her aunt, not quite sure what was so funny about it. Sola opened her mouth to reply when Doran entered the room, his own remarks putting a stop to the laughter still rippling around the small room.

"Hey, does this Nicola only set up people she really likes or really hates?"

The murmurs or 'both' seemed to make Doran even happier, for he smiled and rubbed his hands together, an odd spasm of insanity crossing his face. "Well then..."

Having been so distracted by this little 'conversation', Ari nearly jumped when she felt a hand tap her shoulder. Quickly she turned to see another pilot bedecked in the New Republic orange flightsuit. A quick smile from the other sent Ari's nerves to ease and she listened for whatever the pilot had to say.

"Welcome to the squadron, Ari. I'm Lujayne, one of the only sane members in this squadron." Before Ari could reply, Wedge Antilles looked up, apparently having heard Lujayne's words.

"The only others being Sola, Gaeriel and you, Ari," Wedge seemed to expand on his pilot's sentence. "The rest of us are just pilots with interesting sense of humor. Alright everyone," he said, raising his voice on the last few words. Quickly, everyone quieted down to listen. "Your orders have been transmitted. If you have any questions, ask 'em now. I suggest that you refuel yours X-Wings and triple check 'em. If there are any problems, send a message to Alana."

Numerous pilots nodded, and then one voice broke out- which Ari quickly identified as Wes Janson's- to reply verbally to the commander. "Yes General! Wait; I mean, yub yub, O Exalted One!"

Ari couldn't help laughing at that. While most of her new squadmates obviously knew she spoke at least some Huttese by now, they didn't know that she also knew a few other languages. So, on her way out to her X-Wing, she quickly muttered a small sentence to Janson, keeping her voice low so only he could hear her words.

"Look everyone, it's a mookiee." Quickly, she dived into the hall, waiting just around the corner to hear the after-effects of her words.

Gaeriel's voice, however, was the next to break the air. No doubt she was talking to Wedge. "I think the numbers for sane people just dropped one." A pause came, in which time Ari would've bet, had she not been one quarter Corellian and half Solo, that Gaeriel was looking over to Wes. "I think that name suits you really well, Janson! I wonder what other names that kid's got up her sleeves..." Then Gaeriel passed Ari, going out to the docking bay.

* * * * *

Wedge, and it appeared he was not alone, tried not to laugh. Janson and the Ewoks was a very old joke for the old-time Rogues and Wraiths. Wedge's voice was choked with laughter as it called after Gaeriel's retreating back.

"Yes, the sane members are definitely down to three and now there are two insane ladies in the Rogues." Wedge grinned at the group, then called Ari's name. No doubt she would be hanging around out of sight, as any good practical joker would, to see the rewards of her troubles. The girl reentered the room and he couldn't help smiling at her.

"The Ewok thing is a very old joke between Janson, myself and several other Rogues and Wraiths. I really don't recommend bringing it up again. Wes is very...er... sensitive about that." At his last remarks, it truly became a struggle not to laugh outright at the expression on Janson's face.

What surprised him a bit more was the response he got from the girl. Ari bowed her head in what appeared to be pseudo-respect or even false awe and saluted. Her reply was just as pseudo-truthful. "Yes'sir, Exalted One, sir."

"Actually, that's 'yes, O Envy of all Corellia'," he grinned after the girl.

Before he could reply further, he saw the young Jedi pilot turn tail, poking her deactivated lightsaber at Janson's side, as if she were an Ewok with spear. That alone was enough to send him laughing again, but then the girl ran off down the hall, yelling some random phrases in Ewok.

Wedge only stopped laughing as Janson glared at him, his face in a 'this-is-so-unfair' pout. "Wedge, can we go back to the over 16 in age policy? Even better, the old Rogues?"

He grinned at Janson's pleading face. "Of course we can Wes. If you can answer me two things: One. Would you like to have Jaina back in this squad so she sees you every time we're at base and, henceforth, can exercise her rights to pick on you? And two, I'll just need you to tell me how to get everyone back in the squad without offending everyone currently in it who's not considered an original."

Hobbie must've sensed the sarcasm behind his voice, though Wedge was pretty sure he'd managed to keep it out of it. Either way, the tall pilot went over to Wes, shaking his head. Then he put a hand on Wes's shoulder, steering him towards the door. "I'm afraid it's impossible, Janson. Now let's go see if we can't find a way to annoy that Solo kid." With that, he left Wes with a sardonic grin.

Wes, following Hobbie, had to grin. "Hmm, maybe we should go jump in a simulator and beat her up. Always makes me feel better."

Wedge could tell that he was not the only one who was about to start laughing again, but was again not the only one to rethink it as Sola Gallia's voice echoed angrily through the Force into all of their heads.

_You know, Janson, if you beat her up in the simulators, not only Jaina and I will hurt you, but her mother, father, grandfather and just about ever other related person in her family will post a death mark on your head._

Wes was about to say something, no doubt filled with sarcasm, when Lujayne stepped in between the hot-headed Sola and the sarcastic-to-the-point-of-stupidity Wes.

"Alright, this is getting old. Captain Gallia, you should know what Janson means by beating up Ari in the simulator. And Janson, you should try to keep your mouth shut and stop the smart remarks. Quite frankly, I don't really care who started this huge Skywalker/Solo versus Janson feud, but it needs to stop now. We can't fight Imperials if we're fighting ourselves."

And with that, the woman correctly termed "Rogue's Heart" walked out of the room and towards the docking bay. Wedge blinked after her, quite taken aback by Lujayne's hot words. Well then, it that didn't get everyone's minds on business, the only option left would be to take a laser cannon to them.


	13. Vanguard Squadron

**Chapter Thirteen – Vanguard Squadron**

Raoul Solo's X-Wing touched down smoothly on the docking bay. A slightly surprised look crossed his face as he realized that he was the first there. Not that it mattered to him. The Jedi merely got out of his craft, threw his helmet into it, and then headed towards the building. As he walked down the hallway toward the 'office', his thoughts fell back onto the orders he had received. Jag was always so serious, especially when it came to squad-wide messages. One almost had to wonder what exactly his aunt saw in the military-stiff, Chiss-raised pilot... However, he wasn't in Vanguard to express his views on Jaina's choice of boyfriends.

He made sure all the lights were on as he walked into Jag's office, taking a seat in one of the randomly placed chairs. Then his thoughts returned to his younger sisters.

One of them hadn't activated herself in military service yet... and he was almost grateful. Unfortunately, it hadn't been the younger. Ari had informed the New Republic maybe a week earlier that she was ready to activate her position on Rogue squadron's roster. Hopefully Wedge knew what he was doing, though he wasn't going to doubt his father or grandfather.

Unconsciously, he realized that Asyr Sei'lar had just landed. His gaze remained far off even as he looked out the window. Asyr was flying in from Wraith headquarters, he knew that. It was almost a surprise that she hadn't gotten here first. But it really was no matter. The Jedi Knight walked through the door to Jag's office a minute later at which point she smiled to Raoul. He nodded his reply, but didn't say anything. Instead, it was Asyr who broke the silence.

"Hey there," her voice could hardly be called loud, but it carried.

"Hi, Asyr," was Raoul's reply.

Tyria Sarkin was next to appear, albeit a few minutes after silence had subsided in the room again. Raoul had taken a seat nearer to Jag's desk, while Asyr had chosen to stand at the back of the room. Tyria, it seemed, was finding it a bit amusing. She nodded to Raoul's watching face then went over to stand by Asyr.

"Hey, Asyr. Nice seeing you again," the pilot broke the silence that had been hanging dully for over five minutes.

Raoul could see Asyr was ready to reply, but instead silenced herself when the militarily strict and precise Jagged Fel entered the room. Well, Raoul thought, here we go. Now we're going to be whipped into shape for talking outside military orders. Oh well.

* * * * *

Jag walked into the office, his steps never faltering as he nodded to the squadron members already present. He was hardly surprised to see that they're faces lost their joking motives as entered. But then again, it wasn't really his concern. No, his concern was making sure the squadron made it out with the least amount of deaths possible, preferably none... and to make sure both he and Jaina lived through it. Perhaps the second motive was more selfish, but it was true.

His face once again drew a blank slate over the smile that was beginning to show on it; he couldn't have his squad thinking he was a softie, now could he? A chuckle passed Jag's thoughts and he looked up in time to see Gavin Darklighter enter the room. A quick nod was sent to the pilot, which was returned, and then he saw the pilot go and sit by Raoul.

Ganner could be seen through the window talking to the agitated-looking Sienn Securra. Well, Jag thought, at least my squad's not as disrupting as Rogue squadron's members are. He watched as Ganner reached to open the door, then stopped to wait for Sienn to catch up. The A-Wings and the X-Wings docked were slowly becoming silhouettes as the dawning sun rose over the horizon, creating the shadows that made the direct images black and the background an orange-yellow glow.

Another few seconds later, and Sienn and Ganner were making their way inside together. Jek's X-Wing landed just after the two disappeared inside. The former two were in the office within the minute, Jek following suit in slightly more time. Jag looked around the half-filled room, nodding to the new occupants, but then returning to his datapad. He wasn't going to start only to have to repeat himself. Besides, the pilots could always get their side talk out while they found seats.

Kalten's and Syal's entrances caused him to look up once more, his face a bit less forgiving now that he had been interrupted due to noise more than twice. Oh well. That was how New Republic pilots were. He couldn't do anything about that... especially since he was in love with one of their Colonels. About to comment on their noisy entrance, he bit back both the words and the smile that was close to emerging due to Syal's annoyed-looking face and Kalten's innocently-trying one. Two pilots were missing. Another X-Wing, the _Blackmoon_, landed and Jag quickly edited his thoughts to only one pilot missing.

Jace, the pilot in question, could be heard hurrying down the hall, muttering what sounded like curses at his padawan. Asyr and Raoul could be seen laughing from the corner of Jag's eye. While he wasn't a Jedi to speak of such problems as padawans himself, he'd heard enough about the Jedi 'younglings', as Master Yoda delicately put it, to know that some of them most assuredly could be less-than-perfect. Jaina's account of her padawan years were a testament to that. Stealing an X-Wing indeed.

Vana Sage, his twic, was the last member to walk in. Jag was pleased in spite of himself when she walked straight over to his desk, not waiting to bother with greetings of the others. At least one other person in his squad realized that this wasn't time for dilly-dallying. The 17-year-old Jedi and pilot stopped just in front of Jag's desk, reporting.

"Couldn't get anything else out of Wedge; he said he'd send everything we need to know. Other than that, we know from Adra Tallon that Daala has put death marks on her own and Tyria Tainer's heads."

Rather than offer a verbal reply, Jag merely nodded while she talked. When his twic was finished, he spoke in his usual impassive voice, only it was to the entire squad.

"Alright everyone. I've just forwarded the attack plan to you. Review and get it down in your head."

He knew without having to say anything else that his squad would understand. They'd been fighting under him and his orders too long for them not to know that his orders elaborated into more than he stated at times. Raoul was the first person to finish reading his instructions, at which point he nodded to Jag once in an informal salute and then he went out to, Jag assumed, check his X-Wing over once more before the rendezvous with the Imperials. In spite of himself, Jag couldn't help thinking of them like that. Even when he did come into the fight wearing Imperial colors. It wasn't his fault that the Chiss used to be on loan to the Imperial forces before the New Republic offered a far more sane deal.

As he looked back down his datapad, Asyr Sei'lar walked over to where Vana still stood. Jag could tell that she wasn't there merely to collect her friend, so he put the datapad down once more, resigning to the fact that nobody would let him finish reading the information. As his gaze met the sight before him, he saw Asyr shaking her head with a slight smile. Knowing she was going to be talking to him, he waited.

"You know, I find it rather amazing, Colonel, that the Goddess, who seems to be permanently stuck on hyperdrive, could see past this amazingly serious wall you're so good at putting up. Maybe I only see you as a commanding officer, but I mean, come on Jag. We're all not _that_ serious. You could at last give us some sort of good humor so we don't feel like we're flying to our deaths; even if that's how you see it."

Jag sighed inwardly. Unfortunately, more than half the squad enjoyed commenting on that. It was always the same: 'How the Sith did Jaina Solo end up dating you, Jagged Fel?' Outwardly he showed no sign of emotion, but on the inside several very un-Chiss-like emotions rose in him- namely anger and annoyance.

"Lieutenant, I was raised among the Chiss. Those who were not serious and who did not concentrate were killed by our enemies. If the way I run my squadron offends you, feel free to transfer out. And as for Jaina Solo," here, to Jag's chagrin, he felt both his expression and his voice soften, "As for Jaina Solo, you'd have to ask her about that. Now if you'll excuse me, Lieutenant, Captain," he gave a dismissing nod to both of them before finishing, "I have work I need to do." And with that, he stood up, preparing to go check on his clawcraft.

Asyr, it seemed, wasn't ready to end the discussion though. She visibly raised an eyebrow, and then managed to keep a straight face. Jag could almost see her biting back the smart remarks that she was dying to dole out. And, apparently, she failed to restrain them.

"Alright Colonel, but if I didn't know better, I'd say you're using paperwork and craft inspection as a way to get out of talking." Then she quickly turned tail, running out to the docking bay and her X-Wing. Jag followed her out to the docking bay, going over to his own craft, yet made no outward sign he'd noticed her words when she looked over at him to see his reaction. Quite frankly, he was giving her the same amount of attention he gave to most politicians: none. If Asyr chose to call flying around with Jaina, getting into fights with the Sith, attempting- key word of the thought- to train the Vanguards, and working on simulators 'paperwork', then he honestly didn't want to see what was.


	14. Comet Squadron

**Chapter Fourteen – Comet Squadron**

Alex Winger was the first member of Comet squadron to arrive at base. Technically, she didn't even need to arrive- she practically lived there. At the moment, however, she wasn't thinking about living at the base or even about when she'd see the entire squadron next. She knew. She knew she'd see them within the hour: Comet was on full alert. Alex walked purposefully outside to give her X-Wing, _Revolve_, a looking over. As she approached, her ears were met with the abusive whistling of her R4 droid, Wicket. The droid was whistling madly at something, but Alex would need to be a droid-mind reader if she knew what. So instead, she just stalked over, shaking her head angrily at the droid.

"What the Sith? Wicket, what's up?" Her voice called to the droid when she was all of three paces away. Immediately she got a string of angry whistles and beeps in return, causing her to roll her eyes. It would be just like him. The little thing was constantly complaining unless it was doing something. And that something had to be a productive something...or what it seemed to think was productive. Like flying into battle, for example.

"You've just got to wait nine more hours. Then if you get your sorry head fried, I'm going to laugh," she glowered darkly at him. Before the droid could string together a long enough phrase of insults to return, she turned on her heal and walked back into the building. Her droid was probably the most problematic in the squadron, though it wasn't exactly her or Wicket's fault. Wicket was one of the 'lucky' few, as some other droids had whistled enviously at him, that had gotten a chance to hang around with Artoo and as a result he learned quite a few colorful phrases which he could shoot at her with.

All of two seconds later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Quickly she looked around to find Ton Phanan standing behind her. A grin began to form on her face, and Ton grinned as well. Ton was, to say the least, the comical edge to the squadron. Not that it did much to the bite of Alinn's severity. That woman wouldn't quake even if she were faced with a wall of Super Star Destroyers and a Death Star, even if her shields were down. She knew that she wasn't alone in the squadron's thinking line for thinking their commander was part-miracle, part-insane. Of course, all of them were insane. You had to be to actually want to fly into battle. Either that you were really, really drunk.

"So much for me getting here first, eh? Well, hello again," he joked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for spoiling your 'here first' record. You're forgetting: I've got nowhere better to live," she shot back. The look on Ton's face showed her plainly that she'd won their little 'argument' hands down. While some of her fellow pilots felt bad for her that she had to live on the spot, she found she didn't mind it much anymore. Her home was destroyed and that was enough of a warning for her. Eventually all of her homes would be destroyed, so she'd stick with the one that was least-likely to be. It wasn't exactly her fault Darth Vader had chosen to destroy Alderaan. While she had never actually been to the planet, her parents had told her about it with expressions of mixed sadness and joy at the memories they had of the place. She was lucky, they'd said, she was born after it was turned into a pile of space dust.

But somehow, she didn't feel lucky. Because Alderaan was destroyed, she had lived in cargo ships her entire life. Or, if she were lucky, she'd be planet stuck for a year because her father had found a form of work that either allowed him or demanded he stay on the ground. She hadn't understood him back then, back when he was so intrigued in the simple feel of a spacecraft under him. She'd just always known her mother called him a madman behind his back and that, given the opportunity, he would always have one foot on a ship.

Ton took one look back at _Bugger_, a silly name yet the one for his X-Wing, and then walked inside the building after Alex. Alex herself was already three quarters of the way to Alinn's office. Entering the room, she looked around for a good place to sit. Better to find a place to sit while she still could. Ton took a seat closer to the front of the room, but she remained in the back; out of sight, out of mind.

Moments later Alinn Varth walked past her, giving her a nod. Another nod was given to Ton, then she walked to the other side of her desk, taking a few datacards out her pocket and slapping them carelessly down on her desk. Careless was not a word that Alex usually associated with Alinn, but then again, neither was her speaking more than five words at a time, as she did now.

"We've got ourselves some Imps to deal with. I'll tell you guys the details after everyone gets here."

Hardly a minute after Alinn had finished speaking, Annisa Solo walked into the conference room. Although she Anakin Solo's twin sister and younger than him by seven minutes, Annisa none-the-less possessed the typical Solo charm. No one could deny that. Annisa walked up to the front by Ton and took a chair, her smile not wavering in the slightest.

"Everyone's on their way, Alinn," her voice carried to the commander, who merely nodded in affirming she'd gotten the message. Alex choked back a grumbling sigh. Alinn was difficult sometimes, but then again, she also always found a way to make sure everyone lived through a mission.

As if he had heard her words, Alex Gallia walked into the room. He looked over at Alex and she smiled to Sola's husband. Sola was a friend that she had seen on Coruscant a while back and somehow, she couldn't even remember, the two had found lost track of each other only to be reacquainted at a debriefing between Rogue squadron, in which Captain Sola occupied the number Five roster slot, and Comet squadron. A short time after that, Sola had told Alex that she had married a fellow Jedi, Alex Gallia. Not only that, Alex was surprised to hear, but she now had twins of her own who were running around and terrorizing C3-P0. Whether consciously or not, Alex had never imagined her friend in a mother's role.

Alex Gallia's voice broke in on her thoughts, quickly jolting her to the present. "Oh, of course! We're all looking forward to destroying the Imps!"

Ben Kenobi's voice filtered in grumpily from the hall, replying in a mocking tone to his friend's, "Oh yes, wonderful. We're all going to fly all suicidal and have us a big time killing Imperials. Sounds fun. Especially knowing the fact that I don't like flying."

That got a laugh from nearly everyone in the room. Ben Kenobi, Obi-Wan's son, had always voiced, and quite loudly at that, that he hated flying. Whether it was a generic thing that had been passed down because of his father's dealings with a teenaged Anakin Skywalker or not, no one knew or really bothered to care. Ben could protest all he wanted, but everyone knew that if he were given the opportunity to get out of the squadron his answer would be a lightsaber's hissing blade to the throat of the person who'd offered. He would never give up his X-Wing or his place on the squadron roster.

Alex was about to comment to this effect when Alinn looked up, the look on her face sending chills down Alex's spine. While Alinn usually held a placid and unemotional view on the squad, when she got annoyed enough to let it show, people usually shut up and shut up fast. This time it was plain to see that she was annoyed with Ben and Alex Gallia.

"This isn't the time for smart remarks or wise cracks. And Ben, if you don't like flying, then you're shouldn't've joined the squad. Just be sithing grateful you're not in a squad that could torture you by making you be Anakin Skywalker's wingmate," Alinn's harsh voice rang out through the now-silent room. Ben nodded quickly, taking a seat almost immediately. That was just the effect Alinn had on people.

Alinn's verbal bashing was quickly followed up with a verbal reply, though Ben's had been quite sufficient. The other Solo in the squadron, Jacen, walked through the conference room door at that exact moment. While both Annisa and he were Solo's by blood, it was rather easy for people to speculate that, when looking at all four Solo children together, Jaina had received the most Corellian bit in her. Leia had commented more than once that she wondered if her older daughter hadn't just been built off the Corellian genes and her twin off the Alderaanian genes she had added to the mix. Jacen was certainly peaceful enough, however he did still carry the distinctly trademarked Solo smirk.

"I believe he is thankful of that, Commander," Jacen's voice broke through the reigning silence.

Before Alinn could comment, Luke Skywalker's voice followed his nephew's, "Come now, he's not that bad."

The laughter that had been extinguished flared up again, though there was definitely an underlying bit of nervousness clearly expressed in the glances to Alinn's face. While he was an expert pilot from the original Death Star days and he was also a very powerful Jedi Master, there was no doubt that in a squadron Luke relinquished his high standing to the issued commands of his superiors; unfortunately, the stark and emotionless Commander Alinn Varth was one of them.

Ben's father appeared in the doorway, and then he walked over to stand behind his son. Everyone smiled to him as he passed, knowing he'd probably be the one who- as usual- brought level sense to Alinn's head.

"Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, last time I checked," he put in at last. While half the squad was nodding with agreement, Alex caught the look on Alinn's face and quickly wished she could be farther away than the back of the room. While Mace Windu might be renowned and extremely well-known for his 'constructive discipline' shouts, Alinn could match some aspects of his in her own way. And by the look on her face, Alex could tell she was ready to demonstrate her ability to some extent right now.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware this was opinion hour," Alinn began, thoroughly aware of the shock her squadron gave at her using sarcasm. Her next comments were instantly recognized as being mainly for the last five people to enter the room. "We are dealing an Imperial attach in little more than eight and a half hours, gentlemen. I couldn't give a Sith's lightsaber about the fact that you happen to be Jedi. Got it? Let's get serious here or I'll get on the comm with Jaina and request her to tell Skywalker, yes your dear old father," she looked pointedly at Luke, "to use the Force to give you one-track minds."

If Alex had had notions of maybe putting in a bit of her own thoughts, she quickly shut the thoughts into a durasteel box. It was extremely easy to see Alinn was not in the mood for them. She usually never was before a battle. Instead, Alex watched the commander put her paperwork aside and pick up her datapad. She tapped in two frequency codes and then typed in her message, looking up once she was finished.

"As I've just pretty much told you, we're going to have a rendezvous with three Star Destroyers, an Imperial Interdictor Cruiser and sithspawn knows what else. Wedge should be sending information to you with the details on the attack plan soon, thanks to the fact that Tyria Tainer and Adra Tallon hacked into Imperial accounts; not to mention Karrde gave us a sizeable chunk without questioning the amount of credits we'd be forking over."

Alex saw Erysi nod, her expression becoming much like that off the woman's she was twic to. Alex had no doubt what was going on inside her head; it was what she deduced every time they went into a dogfight. The odds weren't good, yet they weren't excruciatingly bad either. Numbers never meant anything to the outcome if the attack was prepared and executed properly...unless you were talking about a single X-Wing against 20 Imperial ships.

The Mirialan at the back of the room was nodding to Alinn's comments about the Imperials attacking the New Republic, but Alex could tell that the news came as a confirmation of previous knowledge. She resisted the urge to allow a frown to show on her face, but instead turned to watch Alinn as she read her datapad. At last, the commander looked up.

"Alright then. Everyone should have their instructions. Refuel and then give your crafts a thorough checking over. If you have any problems, contact Alana. She'll get you working."

Alex stood up, about to head out the door, but then stopped as she heard Tyria Tainer's news to Alinn. A smile creased her lips and she looked at the commander in time to see a mirror smile on her face as well. However, hers was gone before Alex's. Alinn and Tyria exchanged a few more words then nodded in farewell.

As Tyria looked up, Alex nodded to her, wishing her good luck. Then she headed out onto the hanger like the rest of the pilots. Now it was time to see what kind of mischief her conflabbit droid had gotten up to.


	15. Wild Knights Squadron

**Chapter Fifteen – Wild Knights Squadron**

The building hardly stood out against Coruscant's skyline. It was one of those buildings that you'd pass by if you weren't looking for it directly, or knew something other than what color the durasteel was. However, Cloud Ritril wasn't one of those people. He knew what the building was and he was looking specifically for it. It was like a home away from home, the first home being Wraith headquarters.

He was flying in from Wraith, actually. With a grin, he realized that Wild Knights base was deserted. However, that hardly surprised him. Wraith headquarters was closest to the Wild Knight headquarters, so it was really no surprise to him to be landing _Wingse_ as the first pilot present. Following a quick checking over of his X-Wing and a few words to his over-traumatized astromech, he walked toward the building, the door rolling back, and then went off down the hall to the main conference room that doubled as Nicola's office.

* * * * *

Mara Jade Daragon was not at all surprised to see other crafts at the base before her; in fact, she would've been worried if there hadn't been. She had been, thankfully, on her way from Naboo to Coruscant when she'd received the message that she needed to get to base. So she'd high-tailed it to base.

As her X-Wing, the _Clawdite_, landed down on its repulsor pads, she quickly got out of the cockpit, her helmet taking her place on the seat. A swift checking over of the hull proved that her worries of something hitting her ship were false. Probably a good thing too, she thought, as Uncle Luke would kill me.

It was odd to think of her Uncle as her Jedi Master, and vice versa other times. He wasn't as strict as he used to be, she was told by Alex Gallia, but he was...fun. She searched her mind for a better word, but found none. Fun just 'fit'. Who else would let you sit on their head when you were in nexu form? Well, besides Lucas. A wrench of annoyance mingled with something almost like pain in her mind. Sithin' Vana Sage went off and got Lucas as a boyfriend. Well, on no uncertain terms would Mara be exacting her revenge.

While she had been thinking, her feet had been carrying her towards the 'office', and it was a shock to find herself already in front of the rolled back door. Stepping inside the room, she quickly looked around to see Cloud Ritril already sitting in a chair. Mara opted to stand by the door, however, her back against the wall.

Her eyes lingered for a moment out the window, unconsciously watching the _Petition land. Paige Gtim, Jedi Knight, hopped out. While she knew Paige had been Knighted, even talked to her right after she was, Mara still found it hard to believe that her 18-year-old friend was no longer a padawan. Not that it mattered any. Paige always had a quite air about her, quiet and collected. Mara could remember the countless times her master would attempt to throw her off, trying to find something that would make her tick. She had never been successful._

Mara watched as Paige threw her helmet into the cockpit of her fighter then turned to look at her droid. Mara forced back a grin; she'd always liked that droid, even if he was a bit like Threepio. A few minutes later, Paige walked in and looked around. She spotted Mara and waved, which Mara returned.

Paige walked over to stand by the wall as well, a slight grin on her face. Mara nodded and gestured to the window framing the _Petition_. "What's up with Ditto then?" She couldn't help the smile that was etching over her features at the droid's name.

Paige sighed, "Going on about how I should know better than the just 'chuck', as he phrased it, my helmet into my cockpit." Mara stifled a laugh, but Paige seemed not to notice it and went on, "I told him I didn't need lessons on manners. He seems to be in a mood to disagree today because he's been arguing with me all morning. And people say droids don't have character."

* * * * *

The _Clone and the __Imbrusia were the next to X-Wings to land, the latter touching down first. Adra Amidala watched her Jedi Master's craft as she brought it to it's point on the hanger bay and then landed her own craft. She shrugged her helmet off then turned slightly in her seat to look at her R2 unit. Checking that the thing wasn't about to 'yell' at her, she climbed out of her X-Wing, helmet left behind in the cockpit. Adra walked around her craft, fingers prodding certain points of it as if finding another mark she hadn't noticed on it._

She stopped as she saw the orange flightsuit of Airell standing by the _Imbrusia. The sigh that had intended to meet the air was strangled in her throat. While she could understand her master's caution, she didn't need to have her hanging over her to the point where she couldn't even walk to the Council chambers and back without company of some sort. While she had been able to stifle the sigh, she couldn't stop the words._

"I could've found the office by myself, you know." Adra knew Airell was getting ready to reply, but found she didn't really want to hear it, since she already knew what it would be. It would be the same argument over again. 'Yes, I'm well aware you could've, but if you spent more time looking your X-Wing over and someone wasn't here I wouldn't hesitate to say that if Jori or one of her Sith personnel saw you, you'd be gone.' That was always how it went, no matter how many times Adra tried to point out that she knew very well how to handle a lightsaber. Her arguments usually meant nothing however. Resigned to this fact, Adra walked purposefully into the building and towards the conference room. She knew Master Airell was right behind her, and the footsteps that echoed hers confirmed her belief.

As she entered the conference room, she looked around for any faces she knew. Like Mara Jade and Paige. The two were a little ways off, Paige sitting in a chair and Mara standing with her back leaning up against the wall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her Jedi Master go sit down by the desk in the room. Adra herself went over to stand by Mara, one of the only other people her age in the entire group.

* * * * *

The journey from Rogue headquarters had been uneventful inside the cockpit of the _Suprosa. Not that you thought it would be, Adra reminded herself. The quick glance of the docking bay she took before she landed was enough to tell her that Mara, Airell, Cloud and Adra Amidala were already present. Nicola was still at Rogue base, and Sith knows where everyone else was._

With the knowledge that Nicola wasn't here came a grin. Adra quickly hopped out of her X-Wing, her helmet somehow managing to get lucky and land on the seat inside the cockpit and not on the ground. As far as Adra was concerned, you could easily get a new helmet, so why not beat yours up a bit?

Her thoughts trailing idly to Rogue base once more, she found herself, to her chagrin, thinking about Face. She'd have to comm him before they got in the air. However, now was most definitely not the time to be thinking about her boyfriend. They had far bigger things to worry about...like what would happen if Daala gained control of the Bilbringi, for one.

Pace quickening, Adra looked ahead down the hall, her eyes searching for the door that led into the office. At last finding it, she took the last few steps toward it and turned inside. Walking purposefully to the desk, she looked at one of the chairs near it, debating whether or not to take that one or Nicola's. No competition. Deciding she might as well take the seat while she could, she grabbed the chair behind Nicola's desk and sat herself down.

Besides, this spot had the best view of the hanger bay. As she turned the chair, Adra noticed Mara's amused smile. Returning it, she looked out the window, watching Lucas and Buri walk in. It was strange to think that out of twelve pilots, five of them were currently living on Naboo. Not that there was anything wrong with Naboo, but just the fact that they also happened to be the more insane ones was what caused her to raise her eyebrows. Of the entire 'Nubian Group', Buri was probably the sanest. She had good reason though, from what Luke had said.

Adra repressed a shudder at the thought of being a Tatooine slave. As far as reports were concerned, Anakin Skywalker and Buri Alva had been slaves to the same Toydarian, though at much different times. Watto had never been a pleasure to talk to, and Adra was quite sure that in his old age he didn't get any more so. Luke had mentioned something about Mica Alvarez having been a Tatooine slave at one point as well...though she didn't really know the details. Hardly anyone did, she guessed. The main reason Luke knew so much about Buri was the fact that he had gone on the mission to retrieve her. Mica had freed herself and earned a living as a smuggler, that much she knew. Other than that, you got a fist in your jaw for asking about Mica's experiences on Tatooine if her brother didn't catch her arm before her fist flew.

Xenon Alvarez was another interesting person. His wife had turned into a Sith, his sister was a slave turned smuggler turned Jedi, yet still he found joy in the universe. That might have had something to do with actually finding out he had a sister. While you'd receive serious physical damage if you asked Mica about Tatooine, you could pretty much count on not receiving any if you asked her about her brother and what it was like growing up with him, the latter of the two things something she didn't do. While how she had been separated from the family and landed in the Tatooine slave market was strictly an out-of-bounds subject, asking how she'd met her brother was an okay one.

The sharp release of the door as it slid across the frame was enough to drive her thoughts from her head. Adra watched at Nicola walked up, easily reading from her expression that the battle plan and Wild Knights part in it wasn't what she wanted. Allowing Nicola to use the Force to move her from the chair, she grinned and instead took up a standing post just behind Nicola as the other Jedi 'reprimanded' her.

"My chair, Adra. One of the privileges that come with command."

Adra opened her mouth to reply, but then quickly shut up again as Bror entered the room, Jade Veila in tow. While she was in two squadrons with Jade, she'd seen the woman all of three times in a year.

"I see you finally got her out of her self-induced exile," Nicola was saying.

Bror smiled at his wife, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before he turned and looked at Jade. "Yeah, it took a bit of persuading and Force use, but I finally managed."

The look on Jade's face suggested to Adra that more that a 'bit' of Force use had been necessary. While Jade was no slouch with the Force herself, Adra knew that if you crossed Bror with the Force and shear physical strength, it could be a tricky situation to get out of. Jade glared at Bror for a minute, her green eyes flashing, but then took a seat in the back of the room.

Nicola looked about ready to start when Bria Tharen walked in. A bit breathless with having run from the hanger, she smiled slightly.

"Sorry I'm late," was all she offered before she went and sat by Mara and Adra Amidala. They were much closer her age group than the rest in the room.

Adra could see Nicola rolling her eyes at Bror, then the Jedi nodded to Bria. Even without the Force-enhancement Adra knew she fed into her voice, Nicola would've been heard.

"Alright, everyone sit down and shut the Sith up. Your orders have been transmitted to you. So read 'em, follow 'em and you get my point. And make sure your ships are working because it would be a bit embarrassing if you were killed because of a mechanical failure that could've been prevented. Oh, and you younger-ish pilots," Adra grinned slightly at Nicola's wording, "like Mara, Buri and Adra; please try to stay _alive because if you get shot down, your masters are going to take me apart, piece by piece."_

Adra couldn't help grinning. Quickly she commented to Nicola through the Force, not really feeling that everyone else in the room needed to hear her words. _That's only if they can get past your friends, Fighter Girl._

Having been keeping tabs on what Imperial Communications she could, a laugh escaped her as she read Daala's last order. Going over to the desk Nicola was now sitting behind, she put the datapad on top of whatever she was looking at. She felt a flicker of annoyance coming off Nicola through the Force, but that soon disappeared as Adra raised an eyebrow and explained.

"Figured you might as well know your wingmate and her partner-in-'crime' are specific targets. Though I doubt it'll cost us more than a few extra shots at the TIEs." Her quizzical expression turned into a slight grin. After Nicola had nodded, she pulled out her comm to tell Tyria the 'joyous' news.

Adra knew the holoimage of herself was quickly erected in front of Tyria at her command center. Tyria's voice came through, cutting Adra off before she'd begun. No doubt, she was guessing at why she'd commed in.

"Yeah, I was just about to call you about that. Anyways, Wedge just sent me a copy of yours and my new orders. He wants one of us to stay on the ground and I'll do it," At this point Adra broke in, wanting to debate that with her, but Tyria shook her head, cutting her off in turn, "because you're too good a pilot and Nicola depends on you too much for you not to fly. I'll keep hacking into their systems but this time I'll use my personal signature. Hopefully Daala will get mad enough and concentrate on getting me. And remember, only my computers will miss me if I get captured; you'll leave Face waiting. In the mean time, use the transponder package I spent last week working on and put it on your X-Wing's I.D. It should take them about four hours to break that code and that's if they can get a targeting lock on you for more than five minutes."

* * * * *

Orbiting the planet, Imperial Admiral Daala stood on the decks of the _Knight Hammer. Her comm had just intercepted one of the unprotected Rebel frequencies and a thin line was crossing her face as a result. Tyria Tainer. That girl was a problem that needed to be solved. Or disposed of. Before she could begin thinking of all the things she would love to put the hacker through, a smile bloomed on her face. Whether unknowing or not, Tyria Tainer had just released a bit of information that would prove...useful._

Face Loran, eh? Well there was some news worth listening to. Adra Tallon was in love with Face Loran. She made a note to have the TIE commander informed of another target X-Wing, then listened to the rest of the conversation. Her face clouded once again as she heard the next bit of news. Target lock Adra Tallon? Impossible. She dodged out too quickly. Even the top graduates from the Imperial Academy couldn't lock her for more than enough time to fire. And by the time the attack reached the target point, the vonging Rebel was gone. A curse escaped her lips, but she listened to the rest of the conversation. So the Rebels were going to play hard ball? Excellent.

Quickly she punched in the ship's comm, tapping in the code for the TIE commander once more. "Add another to that list. I want Face Loran as well. It seems one of our little hackers girls has a certain..._attachment_ to him."

A merciless flick of a smile passed her features once more as she disconnected from the communication. There was going to be a certain..._loss for Adra Tallon in her near future. And then maybe she'd decide she was going to try to rescue this vital asset to her life. Well, that odds-against rescue mission would inevitably end up with her playing into Imperial hands._

* * * * *

Adra saw Tyria from down at something in the terminals below the holocomm's view. A confused expression crossed her face and she waited for Tyria to explain what was wrong. She didn't have to wait long.

"Uh-oh, we've got intruders." Adra watched her friend type furiously. "I knew I should've upgraded this system! Daala's listening in on our conversation." The anger on her face quickly passed out of it and then she saw Tyria look to her again. "Give Face a heads up for me, alright?"

Cringing slightly, Adra nodded to her friend. "Okay. Will do...just be careful, okay? If I come back and you've not survived, I will murder you again when I take the 'big leap' myself," she couldn't help grinning at that, but nodded once more in a good-bye to Tyria. Quickly she thumbed her comm to Face's frequency. Kill two TIEs with one missile, Adra thought, grinning slightly.

"Face? Adra here. Daala's got TIEs focusing on you. Stay away from groups of them. You're not invincible and if Daala ends up catching you it's not going to be pretty on my end. See you in the air." Even though she told herself to just end the transmission right there, she couldn't. So instead, she listened to Face's laughing voice: music to her ears.

"I'm not invincible? What the Sith are you talking about Adra? And you're my girlfriend not my mother, love."

Adra quickly beat back a sigh, instead laughing at his remarks. "I know that, _dear_," she quickly returned the 'endearing' term to him, though with much more sarcasm ripped into it. "But you're_ not_ invincible. I'll hack into that X-Wing computer of yours and remove your shields if you need that as a lesson." Though she could threaten it all she liked, she was privately thinking that she'd never do that if her life depended on it. "Anyway, just be careful."

Her voice joked less now and she found herself staring at the comm seriously, as though it might transmit her face a well, showing the seriousness of the situation in spite of the laughter throughout the squads. Admiral Daala head easily three times the firepower the New Republic had... things would and could easily get very sticky for the New Republic if they weren't careful.

She heard Face's laughter coming over the comm, followed by his voice. "You'd never take away my shields, Adra, and you know it." She smiled at his statement, at the same time thinking that he knew her too well. As he spoke again, his voice grew a bit more serious. "I'll be careful. And you be careful too, alright? If I come back and find you captured, I'll be very disappointed." The sounds of laughter from the Rogues came over the comm, but Adra listened only to Face's voice. "I've got to go, we insane Rogues are annoying the Sith outta each other. I love you Adra. Poster Boy out." And then there was an almost audible click signifying that he'd turned his comm off.

Adra sat stunned, surprised more than anything by his last announcement. During the course of their conversation, she'd slipped unconsciously into a chair. She blinked, looking over at Nicola, hardly believing she'd actually heard Face say what he had. Adra glanced around the room, noting that it was devoid of all people but herself and Nicola. She looked back at the comm still in her hand, knowing that she couldn't reply through it as his was now off. Instead, she whispered it through the Force, knowing he'd hear it.

_I love you too Face..._

She shook her head, looking over at Nicola again. At last, she stood up, nodding to her friend. "I'm going to get my X-Wing ready."

Nicola nodded, one hand over her mouth, looking like she was attempting to conceal a grin. No doubt she was, too. Adra wondered vaguely if it was merely that she knew who Adra had been talking to or if it was that she knew what had been said, but she didn't have time to fathom the answers. Nicola stood up and walked over next to her friend.

"Alright. I'll come out with you. I need to get away from the duties of command for a few minutes."

Adra was careful to keep her face expressionless and she nodded and walked out to the _Suprosa. She grabbed a fuel hose quickly, dragging it to her X-Wing and began to refuel. Somehow she knew Nicola wasn't going to leave it alone; knew it by the look on her friend's face._

"Alright. What."

She saw Nicola raise an eyebrow, looking for all the part like she was innocent. Adra saw through it immediately. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just was thinking about how I recognized the look on your face."

Though that was not what she had expected, a grin none-the-less came to her lips as she turned back to her X-Wing. "What look was that then?" her reply was as off-hand as she could make it, though she knew it was fooling Nicola about as much as Nicola's 'innocence' had fooled Adra.

Nicola's reply came with a grin. "The look on your face when your boyfriend tells you he loves you for the first time."

Adra felt heat rising to her cheeks and suddenly wished Nicola didn't know her so well. She turned quickly to put the fuel hose back, then looked at her friend.

"Fine, be that way." Adra muttered to herself as she worked on checking her X-Wing over, acutely aware that she had muttered a bit too loudly the words 'well I do love him'.

Without looking at Nicola, she could see the grin that would undoubtedly be on her friend's face. Nicola moved away to put her hose back, then walked over to Adra. She was a bit surprised that when Nicola spoke again, there wasn't a hint of sarcasm. "Be careful out there, will ya? I really don't need to lose another friend."

Adra looked Nicola over, thoughtful, then nodded, specifically hoping that this wasn't the last time she was going to be talking to her friend. "The same to you, commander."

She was rewarded almost immediately with a mock-glare from Nicola. "Don't call me commander, Adra. It makes me feel old when people say that."

About to say something in response, she looked over Nicola's shoulder and nodded to the girl who'd come up behind her. Quickly Adra busied herself as Amidala talked with Nicola. She could tell the girl was nervous about interrupting and didn't want to add to her nerves by watching her as she reported.

"Master... Captain Afyon, three Imperial ships have been spotted orbiting the planet...and judging by the frequencies running about, the rest of the fleet is going to arrive soon."

One thing she had to give to that girl was her intelligence. Airell had told her some of the history around her padawan with Senator Padmé's last name and part of that had come to the effect that Jori Daragon had created the girl. She was a clone in some ways, yet entirely unlike a clone in most. Adra knew that Jori had tampered with both the intelligence level of the clone-to-be and also the midichlorian level. Unfortunately for Adra Amidala, Jori had lost possession of the girl and in trying to regain said possession, had terrorized the kid when it came to talking to superior officers she hardly knew.

Adra could tell Nicola was about to snap at Amidala for calling her Captain, but was relieved as Nicola stopped herself in time. "Alright, thanks Adra. Go ahead and tell the rest of the squad for me. Oh, and you can call me Nicola. Captain Afyon makes me feel old."

The girl saluted to Nicola and Adra in turn. "Yes, Ma-" Adra heard her stop herself.  "Yes, Nicola."

A smile played on her lips as she watched the girl walk away, easily reading that the lack of title felt awkward to the girl. But that was just how things were run in Nicola's squadron.


	16. Squints

**Chapter Sixteen - Squints**

Green eyes glanced up between the loose bits of copper hair that hung about the Imperial Admiral's face. She glanced quickly from her control panels to the viewscreen. The New Republic's capital planet of Coruscant rotated slowly upon it. A second later the Admiral tapped her comm, keeping an eye on the planet for the signs of opposition she knew would be coming.  Knowing they probably did know she was there, considering they'd acknowledged her winner's 'prize', so to speak, she was glad that it would mean the Bilbringi shipyards weren't slowed due to some need  for building or planet-side repairs.

"_Revenge_, this is the _Knight Hammer_. Prepare to begin the assault. Interdictor cruisers standby to make the final jump to Coruscant. TIE fighters await the command to depart."

As she finished the communication and ended the transmission, the beeping began in her own unit. Raising an eyebrow at the device, she flicked it on once more, waiting.

"Admiral, hackers in the computer." Admiral Daala muttered a Wookiee curse under her breath, glaring at the comm, as if it would transfer her facial expression to the officer. Instead, she gave a sharp 'Observed, Captain' into the device and changed her frequency once more. This time it was to the field commander in charge of the TIE squadrons. As the Colonel answered his comm, she cut off his sentence sharply.

"I want Adra Tallon and Tyria Tainer on the _Knight Hammer dead or alive by the end of this," her voice icy, she didn't even listen for his acknowledgement of a reply. She merely ended the transmission and glared back out the viewport. Those two hackers had sliced too far. They were going to learn what it meant to meddle with Imperial plans._

Her thoughts were interrupted as the _Gorgon appeared on the right side of the screen. The edges of her lips tipped up in a small smile as she watched the planet slowly come closer, the_ Gorgon_ keeping pace easily. Through the ship's main frequency, she heard the voice of the General commanding the ship._

"Yes, Admiral. Everything is as planned." Admiral Daala didn't bother acknowledging the new report and, after a minute's time, heard the comm go dead as the _Gorgon_ main terminal changed frequencies.

Commander Davip, having heard orders relayed to the TIE commanders, saluted her sharply and then turned to the terminals and transferred the orders that had been given the _Knight Hammer TIE fighters on to the rest of the Imperial fleet. Daala couldn't help the smile on her face growing. Everything was going as planned._

The _Revenge_ appeared on the left side of the viewscreen as it powered forward, only a psuedoripple in the space view to show its coming from hyperspace. The Admiral noted easily that the Super Star Destroyer had been back with the Interdictor cruisers and had had to jump ahead once more. Static filled the comm and then a voice spoke through.

"This is the _Revenge_. We have completed the final jump to real space and are now looking at target-planet, Coruscant. Ready to begin the attack at command."

The Admiral waited a few seconds, her gaze returning to Coruscant, and then she nodded to her right-hand officer. The _Knight Hammer was suddenly on the frequency for the entirety of the Imperial fleet._

"_Revenge_, _Gorgon; Admiral Daala. Proceed with the attack. TIE squadrons, move." She nodded to Commander Davip once more and heard the connection terminate. She paused for a few seconds, awaiting the first signs of TIE fighters emerging onto the viewscreen and tactical boards. At the first sign of the speeding fighters, she nodded to the commander once more._

"Notify the Interdictor cruisers to stand by."

The officer nodded curtly in reply before she responded in crisp military fashion. "Yes, Admiral." Commander Davip then picked up her comlink and went to work relaying orders to the Interdictor cruisers.

Abruptly, alarms went off throughout the Super Star Destroyer. They were quieted almost as soon as they'd started, but they alerted everyone on board of the motion on screen. A squadron of B-Wings had broken through Coruscant's atmosphere. Admiral Daala stood up and walked toward the viewport, gaze fixed on the battle about to unfold. The TIE bombers and starfighters that had already departed their hanger bays engaged the squadron of crafts before two Y-Wing squadrons began evening out the numbers, if not tipping them in the favor of the New Republic. Behind her, the Admiral heard the commotion of orders flying through frequencies for the next squadrons to launch, etc, etc. Her trained eyes watched as the space ahead of them began filling with TIE Interceptors, bombers and starfighters. Commander Davip came to a salute next to the Admiral and she raised an eyebrow.

"The Interdictors have converted to real space again, sir. They are now at attack coordinates."

"Excellent."

* * * * *

Han Solo watched the tactical screen in front of him, not yet ready to bring the _Falcon _into the fight. Red, Gold and Green squadrons had already risen to meet the swarm of the Imperials. His trained eyes darted around the ever-updating screen to darken at the knowledge that they were outnumbered by quite a large amount. A grin played across his face, however, as one of his favorite sayings floated into his head. 'Corellians have no use for odds, so they don't realize when they're stacked against them.' Even if it was meant to be an insult, it didn't seem like it to him.

The joking thoughts left him as he watched Alinn Varth and her Comet squadron of X-Wings launch into the fight. His eyes darted between the blips that identified his brother-in-law then to his youngest daughter, Annisa, then on to Jacen. Not for the first time in the last 24 hours did he realize that nearly everyone in his family from his father-in-law to his nine-year-old granddaughter would be entering the fight. He could almost see Celtic sitting there watching the tactical screen at Intel headquarters, a hand gripping Aurra's shoulders, as she hung on to her last child yet to activate her position in a squadron.

Once the Comets were clear of the atmosphere, Han heard bel Iblis's voice crackle over the comm to tell the Vanguards to launch at will. Jagged Fel's squadron. Silently, he begged the Force to let the Chiss Colonel return from the fight in one piece. That much was not for his sake, but rather for his eldest daughter's. While he couldn't see what she liked in Fel, nor did he want her going out with him, he feared the wrath of an angry, Force-wielding wife and an angry, Force-wielding, lightsaber-efficient daughter more than he cared to admit.

Silent eyes watched as Saber squadron- and Jaina- was given the command to launch. As expected, the _Trickster_ made it out of the hanger bay first, her squadron trailing her closely. A smile passed his lips as Jaina wiggled her X-Wing's wings to him in a silent greeting as she passed overhead. Then her energies seemed to redirect at the impending skirmish and he watched his oldest child fly into the fight. Han began to power up the _Falcon_'s engines, listening to the other voices coming through the comm.

"Rogue Squadron, Wild Knights; launch on my mark. Five...four...three...two...one... Mark." Han glanced at his tactical screen once more as the_ Falcon_ power up off the repulsor pads. 24 X-Wing blips lifted off the hanger they were set in and, in pairs, began flying towards open space.

* * * * *

Adra watched the entirety of Wild Knights squadron on the tactical screen as it lifted up off the hanger bay in equal time with the Rogues. From her position just off Nicola's port wing, she glanced out of her cockpit once more to sweep down the X-Wings she could see that were part of Wild Knights, and then went on to look down Rogue's lines. He eyes drifted back to the second group, the X-Wing nearest her, and she grinned slightly as she saw the white, red and yellow helmet bobbing around under the canopy.

Her attentions quickly reverted back to keeping just off Nicola's wing as she exited the hanger bay. Once the entirety of the squadron was clear, Adra followed Nicola's lead toward the four preybird squadrons that had been deemed 'theirs'. Nicola's voice broke across her thoughts as it came through the comm.

"Alright, Wild Knights. Split into Flights and we'll each tackle a squadron of those preybirds. When you're done with your squadron, head towards that last one. Flight with the least amount of kills buys drinks later."

All that being said quickly and in Nicola-style, Adra pulled her X-Wing off as Nicola's A-Wing headed towards one of the preybird squadrons. Behind her, she could not only see, but feel through the Force that Bror and Bria had broken off with them.

The other two flights headed off in their respective directions and Adra waited a few minutes, stutter-firing at preybirds as she went, before changing her frequency to Nicola's private one, making sure to keep her X-Wing just off Nicola's right wing. A grin passed her face as two more of the enemies blew up, meeting her lasers.

"Y'know, I have a feeling that we might actually have to work to not have to buy drinks." She heard Nicola laughing slightly before she switched back to Wild Knights One Flight main frequency and targeted another craft.

Adra watched in silence as Nicola's laser fire hit the last preybird in the squadron they had attacked and she glanced down at the tactical board. The other preybirds were being all-but-literally torn apart by the squadron and it would be futile to turn their Flight back over to only add more lasers. She heard the comm crackle on and then Nicola's voice once more.

"Two, let's go take care of those eyeballs." Adra glanced at her screen again to see a new TIE squadron exiting the _Knight Hammer. "Five, you've got command of the squadron. Leader out."_

Quickly, she pulled her X-Wing out of formation to follow Nicola, refocusing on flying and not expressing her shock that Nicola had handed Wild Knights off to Mara Jade Daragon, not Bror, Paige or Bria like she might've suspected. Mara might've had the same interest, as was evident in the Force, but she made no remark. Instead, Adra heard the double click of Mara's comm to Nicola before the fourteen-year-old barked out instructions. Adra blinked in surprise at the authority Mara commanded, but then berated herself. This girl was Luke Skywalker's apprentice, Tahiri Skywalker's niece, and daughter of the Sith Mother. She would know all about command. Just as quickly as she'd broken off from the squad formation, she rolled her X-Wing port, her game face returning as her thoughts cleared.

"I copy Lead," Adra said into the private frequency. "Hope the eyeballs are ready to say lights out."

She glanced at her tactical screen again, as she had been every few seconds, to make sure she wasn't in danger of becoming a target. The Force was definitely useful in alerting to the thoughts of the enemy, but she was still taking no chances. Still focused on what was going on with her wingmate, she target locked a TIE and triggered a torpedo at it. Adra stretched out her Force senses to carefully monitor the Imperials. She drew back once more, pleased to find nothing locked firmly on her ship...yet.

Ahead, she saw two more of the wretched TIEs blink into space dust. Nicola had fired her lasers at them seconds before. Adra fired her lasers in a smooth stream up the underside of a TIE, reaching an engine, causing it to explode. Nicola's voice whooped over the comm.

"We are _so_ not buying drinks tonight, Computer Girl!" There was a brief pause. "Sithspit. Two, we've got 24 squints headed our way. Repeat, 24 squints."

Adra began to grin and was about to reply to the 'buying drinks' comment, but then she saw the 24 new red dots flashing towards them on her tactical board. Her expression changed just as quickly as the _Falcon could jump into hyperspace. Nicola obviously had noticed the squints as well, considering she was currently swearing at them. Adra studied the screen, well aware that they were too far from Wild Knights to request assistance. The squadron, while flying well under Mara's command, would be too focused in dealing with their new threat to be able to spare another person._

"I copy, One," Adra voiced at last. "Got a plan, or are we just winging this?" The TIE fighters were gaining every second, no matter how quickly Nicola's and her own lasers blew them up. Between firing, she glanced at her controls again and saw something that made her face fall in shock. A new and far more intricate string of curses wound of her lips. "One, the Imps got through that transponder code Tyria sent through."

* * * * *

Tyria watched her monitors from aboard the _Peregrine, taking in the battle scene before her. She was half-glad that she had an excuse to stay out of the fight, even if she were still a bit close to the battle in General bel Iblis's warship. It wasn't that she didn't like the idea of flying up into a skirmish- it was just the odds that were driving at the New Republic right now. Silently she watched the screen, her eyes dancing about as she tracked the blip labeled Wild Knights Two._

A cheer went up in her head at the most recent explosion caused by Adra's lasers, and then they narrowed again as she saw the new TIEs seemingly thrown away on encircling Adra and Nicola. With a sudden jolt, she realized what was going on, just as Adra's voice came over the comm again.

"One, the Imps got through that transponder code Tyria sent through."

Without even realizing it, Tyria had thrown her comm headset onto the keyboard and was grabbing her flight helmet as she dashed past General bel Iblis. Behind her, she heard him first requesting then demanding information. Ignoring both the request and the order, she climbed into her X-Wing, powering it up as soon as she was settled into it. Her ship was in the air less than a standard minute later, Tyria still double-checking the weapons system. General bel Iblis's voice came through to her comm as she began moving past the _Peregrine's shields._

"Wraith Ten, what the Sith are you doing?"

"I'm saving my friend, General, that's what," she snapped in reply, a bit preoccupied with the things her astromech was telling her.

"Lieutenant, you could get a court martial for this!" The General's voice boomed over the comm.

"Yeah, well, unless I help Adra, you'll be working with a half-strength hacker team." She heard the General start to protest and abruptly switched over the frequency Adra and Nicola were on. "Wild Knights Two and One, this is Wraith Ten. I'm on my way. And Two, remind me to upgrade these I.D. layovers when we get back to base, if you will."

* * * * *

Adra felt the ripple in the Force a minute before she saw a 'Wraith Ten' blip pop up on her tactical screen. Tyria's voice came through the comm next, setting relief sprouting through her mind at the knowledge of having back-up, then uncertainty. Tyria's X-Wing wasn't equipped for this battle...but it was still good to know someone else was out there.

"Will do, but Tyria, what the Sith are you doing our here?"

A sudden warning sounded in the Force and her gaze flew to the screen. A curse escaped her once more as she realized this wasn't just a large bit of battle debris or a pack of TIEs all bunched together. Not even waiting to hear Tyria's answer to her question, she spoke to Nicola.

"One, we've got company. The _Knight Hammer is just off on the port side a ways."_

Her lasers continued blazing at the approaching squints as she dodged in and out of their return fire, searching all the while for a way to get farther from the Super Star Destroyer. The knowledge of the tractor beams on those things, and what they could do, came floating back from under ten or so year's worth of hacking knowledge. All the knowledge from her two years in the Academy at Bastion came back to her as she darkly recalled not only the power of the tractor beams, but of the number of guns positioned on the Supe. Adra continued glancing at her tactical board every five seconds, uncomfortably aware of the _Knight Hammer_'s steady progress as the TIEs kept them at bay. To add more to her nerves, Daala's comm messages began to replay loudly in her head, not quite the thing she needed to hear at this moment.

Over the open comm, Adra heard Nicola curse violently at the mention and then sight of the _Knight Hammer_. There was silence broken only by the sounds of lasers meeting durasteel, and then Nicola's voice carried another string of curses at the sight of a squadron of Interceptors being released from the Supe. Adra dived out of a line of laser fire only to realize that she was playing right into the Imperial's hands. With a sudden realization, she glanced at her tactical screen to confirm her suspicions. She was right. Nicola was being taken farther and farther away from where she and Tyria were firing and ducking. The curses of both Tyria and Nicola filled the comm. Suddenly Tyria's voice changed from Kell's curses to words.

"Two, we're in range of their tractor beams!"


	17. Knight Hammer

**Chapter Seventeen – Knight Hammer**

A very broad smile drifted across Admiral Daala's face as one of the officers at a tactical screen passed her the more recent information. At current, they were not only winning the fight for Bilbringi, but everything else was working as planned. The same officer quickly announced that the _Knight Hammer was within range of the two X-Wings. Instantly she cast an order to activate the tractor beams at the nearest of the two._

Daala grinned mercilessly at the screen as she saw the tractor beams latch onto Adra Tallon's X-Wing. This would be worth it, even if they lost Bilbringi. As the computer hacker's X-Wing finally ended its futile resistance, she felt a full smile break across her face.

* * * * *

Face Loran fired grimly at the nearest TIE fighter, his features lightening a bit as he saw the thing explode. He glanced out of the canopy's transparent top to see Wes dodge a red laser beam. Quickly he stole a look at his tactical board then gaped at it in shock. He rolled his X-Wing, bringing it in behind the fighter that was on his tail and vaporized it instantly. Vape twittered incessantly at him, but he ignored him to double check his tactical screen. Adra was in the _Knight_ _Hammer's tractor beam. He muttered something that he half-registered as sounding like 'and she told me to be careful' before he broke out of formation, heading towards Adra's X-Wing._

"General, permission to go help Wild Knights Two?" He didn't bother waiting for Wedge's response; instead, Face directed his X-Wing towards the Supe.

Though he didn't really want a reply, he was a bit surprised not to hear the General's voice immediately after he had spoken. After another minute, he heard Wedge start talking. "Permission denied, Commander. And don't even think about protesting. You're too good a pilot to lose, so don't even think about disobeying or I _will_ have someone shoot you down."

Face cursed Wedge silently, reluctantly pulling his X-Wing back into formation, his gaze lingering over his shoulder at the Super Star Destroyer and the craft it still held in it's clutches. Under normal circumstances, Face wouldn't have given a Sith's lightsaber over the General's orders, but his threat wasn't an idle one. Face knew Wedge would live up to shooting him out of the sky if he had to. After another second, he tore his eyes from the sight of the X-Wing and the tractor beam and fired at the nearest Imperial vessel in anger.

* * * * *

Though the Force had alerted her a second or so before it actually happened, the jolt her craft received, in spite of her shields, knocked her sideways in what little room there was in the cockpit as the tractor beams attached themselves firmly to her ship. Another string of curses escaped her silently before she checked the rest of her systems.

"I think it's too late to point that out, Tyria." While she was well aware that sarcasm wouldn't do anything to help the situation, Adra couldn't help pouring it into her words in light of her current predicament.

Adra was sure Tyria was rolling her eyes, but didn't bother searching the Force to find out. Instead, she focused her energies on trying to think of anything that might get her out of this jam. Tyria's voice interrupted her not-quite organized thoughts.

"Adra, you were at Bothawui a few years ago, right?"

Confusion seared across her mind instantly, unable to draw the connection. Instantly her response was to pour on the sarcasm once more, but she held it in check. "Yes, but I don't see what that has to do..." She stopped mid-sentence as her mind registered something. "Oh, the TB twist?"

Instantly she felt Tyria's presence grow a bit less tense in the Force. "Exactly. And if this doesn't work, I hope the cloakers are working because if they aren't, we're two dead Wraiths."

In spite of the situation, she smiled at Tyria's words. Whether she tried to or not, that pilot always found some way to release the tension of a situation. Quickly Adra cast around for something appropriate to say.

"Well, at the risk of not sounding like a Jedi, good luck."

Instead of a verbal reply, Adra received the sound of a comm double-clicking in acknowledgement from Tyria. Adra watched the other X-Wing as it sped towards the semi-visible beam, silently begging the Force to let this work. Tyria's hit rammed the beam full on and it disappeared. Adra jerked her stick to roll her X-Wing out quickly, giving a whoop of glee. Abruptly she jammed her jaw shut. The _Knight Hammer_ was moving quicker than she had expected; it took all of 2.3 seconds to reconnect the tractor beam to her X- Wing. This was bad, very bad. She let a groan slip past her lips unconsciously and resigned herself to the fact that there was no way she was getting out of this one.

"Alright. On to plan B. What's plan B?" Her voice cracked dryly and she knew she must sound just wonderful over the comm. Unfortunately, if she hadn't added sarcasm, she would've sounded worse. She heard Tyria's curse come over the comm just as the tractor beam started to draw her in.

"Plan B involves me having no idea what to do," Tyria finally said.

Another jolt rocked the X-Wing and Adra glanced at the scanners, uncomfortably aware that if she was hit again, her ship turned to vapor. Given that she had no other choice, Adra went EV. Three seconds after she cleared the _Suprosa_, it exploded.

* * * * *

Adra was shaken roughly from the X-Wing's seat and immediately she felt a hand grabbing each of her arms. Her sense of time and place came back to her slowly, but at last she got it.  One of the glorious side effects of going EV. Her eyes cast a glance around the Supe's hanger bay and she repressed a shudder at the thought of the last time she'd been on one. As she heard footsteps on durasteel getting closer, she immediately hitched a sarcastic smile to her face- not exactly hard for her to do.

Just as expected, Admiral Daala appeared through a door and walked briskly over towards the little 'group'. A quick glance around the hanger told Adra that this would not be a good time to take out her lightsaber. She returned her gaze to Admiral Daala and watched the woman draw herself up to stand in front of her, looking down her nose as if Adra herself were a piece of scum. Unconsciously she heard Daala's voice telling the stormtroopers to take her to the detention center- cell DL-773, she thought- and then the Admiral was turning on her heal to, presumably, head back to the main command center. Well, dozens of stormies or no, she, Adra Tallon, still had the Force, a blaster and a lightsaber on her side. Not many stormtroopers could attest to quite as much.

Thirteen minutes later she was being half walked, half dragged down the hallway in the detention center. A sharp Force-presence caught her attention, but she quickly shunted it aside in preference of rewarding the stormtroopers a few more sarcastic remarks. Behind her, she felt Tyria Tainer's presence drawing nearer and nearer. She began loosing the stuncuffs around her wrists and used the Force to free up her lightsaber in her boot. The two stormtroopers hauled her past Tyria's hiding place and there was a blaze of red blaster bolts flying at them. The two stormtroopers who had been holding her arms were stunned and on the floor. The stuncuffs released themselves from her wrists and her lightsaber blazed on to meet the heads of two more stormies. Both fell to the durasteel as Adra whipped the lightsaber around to engage a third trooper. Tyria loosed another bolt at a stormtrooper and as Adra decapitated the one she had entertained, she grinned at her friend. Abruptly the lightsaber was deactivated and Adra walked over to her fellow hacker.

"Let's go," she grinned to Tyria.

It had been a while since she'd seen Tyria Tainer really smile, but her fellow computer slicer did just that. "Best two words I've heard in a while," her friend remarked, then led the way to the docking bay. Just before they entered, Tyria reached into her flightsuit pocket and pulled out several datacards, handing them to Adra. "Here; all the information I managed to get out of their computer on board the ship. Take it and get to my X-Wing. I'll take a TIE; been flying them in the simulators anyways."

The grin that was still on her face faded at her friend's words. She hesitantly reached out to grab the datacards with one hand just as the hanger door opened. Half-consciously her other hand raised her lightsaber to block the blaster bolt sent towards her head.

"No way, I'm not leaving you here. You almost got yourself killed to help me and I'm not going to let Daala get us." Immediately she saw Tyria roll her eyes. It might've been a bit of a 'joke' to her, but Adra wasn't taking any chances. There was no way in any of Corellia's hells that one of them was going to be stuck here.

"Yeah, well, Face can thank me later. And besides, you last flew a TIE what...eight years ago? I've flown one for about a third of my time in Wraith. I'll meet you back at base."

Before Adra could reply, Tyria gave her a shove towards the X-Wing. She decapitated the guards surrounding it and scrambled into the cockpit, taking the helmet that was lying there. With a quick glance into the bay, she saw Tyria darting in the direction of the Interceptors. A stray stun bolt came across the distance. Adra's eyes widened as Tyria dropped to the durasteel, stunned. Her first thought was to get to her friend, but a thought hit her as Tyria's head connected with the hanger floor. _Go._

It was from Tyria, that was for sure. Feeling like a complete murderer as stormtroopers gathered around her friend's prone form, she launched the X-Wing and made the jump for Coruscant.

* * * * *

Wraith headquarters loomed in the distance. It had been about an hour, she knew, since the fight had ended. Ten crafts were on the hanger bay as she guided Tyria's X-Wing to its usual spot. As the X-Wing powered down, she fought to control the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. The helmet came off instantly as the canopy released and she wiped her eyes on her gloved hands. She hadn't started crying yet and she had no desire to look like she had been by the time her feet were on the ground. Leaving Tyria's helmet in the cockpit, she vaulted out of he craft, landing on the durasteel flooring below.

To her left, she half-registered the form of Kell Tainer standing up. He had been sitting perfectly still the whole time, his head in his hands, as she had landed into Wraith's hanger. Adra felt another bout of pain sear across her as she realized that he had been waiting on his sister's return. Adra hadn't moved quickly enough. Kell was in front of her, searching her eyes for an answer.

"Adra, why the Sith-"

She shoved passed him and hurried towards the main building, feeling the presence of the explosives expert following her. Nicola was the next to impede her trek to her room about six meters from the door. Her original thought was, as she cursed everything that she could name, to shove Nicola off as she had Kell. But she couldn't do that, not to one of her best friends.

"Adra, what happened? Where's Tyria?" Nicola's voice cut through the fog in her mind.

She took a deep, trembling breath, still putting up a fight to keep from crying. Only this time, her defense failed and she felt a tear run down her cheek. "With Daala," she answered shortly. As she voiced what her mind had been going over, the actuality of it hit her. The tears she had been attempting to keep back were free to do as they would now, only to be impeded by Adra uselessly wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Half-consciously, she saw Nicola turn away to her husband, who had come to stand behind her.

A few seconds later, she felt arms encircle her, bringing her into an embrace. Face's voice questioned her softly. "Adra, what happened?"

She drew back a few inches, wiping her cheeks on her sleeve once more. It was almost funny that for once in her sane life she was ignoring the fact that she was close enough to Face to kiss him. She shunted off the much-repeated question once more and kept her voice level in a statement of her own.

"Face, I need to talk to you and Wedge immediately."

* * * * *

Wedge looked up from his desk and the letter he was attempting to write to Doran Sarkin's family. Another man they'd lost in battle. No matter how many times he wrote these letters, they never got easier. Adra Tallon and Face Loran seemed to be the more pressing matter, however, so he put the datapad aside and stood up to greet them.

"Adra, where's Tyria and what the Sith happened out there?" He didn't even bother reprimanding her over the lack of salute. While his question list had been short, the answers were, unfortunately, long ones.

"Right now," Adra began, "Tyria's probably being tortured by Admiral Daala. And that's all my fault. I shouldn't have left without her, and I shouldn't have let the eyeballs and squints take me away from the squad. And I should've out flown that lumbering Star Destroyer." She finished her report in a short clip, yet he had the slight impression that she was loathing herself over the last part.

In spite of the situation, he let out a mental sigh. Wedge had taken his seat at the first bit of news: Tyria being captured. That was just wonderful, considering about 90% of all the New Republic's codes were stored in her brain. He listened to the rest of his pilot's report before coming to his conclusion. While she might feel it was her fault, not everything that had gone wrong could be blamed on one person. Abruptly he came to the conclusion that what must be done need to be.

"Tallon, sit down, take your right boot off and put your feet up on the desk." He himself took his right boot off as the pilot hesitantly did as ordered. Quite relaxed and comfortable, he put his feet up on the desk between them. "Now, start that little speech again. How did it go? Oh yes. 'Right now, Tyria's probably being tortured by Admiral Daala'." He stopped, letting her pick up the talking end of the 'conversation'.

* * * * *

As ordered, Adra re-reported, her expression no doubt of exasperation. Though she was beginning to feel a bit stupid about sitting with a single boot on, the General in the same position, she nodded. Orders were order after all, and even if she hardly ever followed them, this might be the only way to get the man to listen.

"Right now, she's probably being tortured by Admiral Daala. And it's all my fault. I shouldn't have left without her, and I shouldn't have..." Adra didn't even notice that her voice was trailing away. She was actually listening to the words she spoke this time. If she shouldn't have done x, x, x and x, what should she have been doing then? And what should, say, Tyria really have been doing? What about everyone else that had been in the fight? Was she going to start rattling off mistakes they made and listing them as her own, giving reasons why she caused the other pilot to make the mistake? At this point, more or less, the realization of her stupidity hit her. Adra felt a slow smile begin to creep over her face as she nodded to herself in understanding. The next instant she remembered she was supposed to be giving a report.

Wedge didn't appear angry; quite the contrary. He was smiling, his eyes flicking past her face to land on the person behind her. She grinned slightly as she remembered Face was still in the room. Then General Antilles looked back at her as his feet were removed from his desk.

"Glad to see you've come to your senses about all this, Lieutenant," he grinned as he pulled his boot back on. Adra's feet hit the floor just as he stood. "You can put your boot back on, Tallon."

Adra pulled it on just as he finished speaking and stood up, a slight scowl written on her features. "Yes, General, I'm aware I can put my boot back on. And if the situation had been any less formal, say not in your office, I would've thrown it at your head first." The smile she'd been attempting to cover leaked through to cover her face and she gave him a quick and very fake salute.

Across the desk, Wedge was grinning. "Lieutenant, you're extremely close to insubordination. And you really can't get less formal than an office unless you count the mess hall." He paused and Adra saw his face become a bit more serious before he spoke again. "Does Kell know yet?"

Abruptly she withdrew once more, trying to believe that Tyria's capture wasn't real and that she and Face would arrive at Wraith headquarters to see Tyria Tainer complaining about security lapses. However, she knew it wasn't the case. She shook her head, not trusting herself to answer Wedge's question verbally.

Behind her she heard Face sigh. No doubt over the fact that Kell Tainer was extremely protective over his younger sister. Then he spoke. "This'll be hard. Let's keep anything that can explode away from Kell for a while." His words seemed to be more directed to her than to Wedge.

Adra glanced over at him, nodding in agreement. "Yes, it is, but no one said life as a pilot was easy. You'd best let Cloud do the 'no explosives' part though."


End file.
